Are you the youngest child in your family? Then sound off!

[proteus_lives]

How many DUers are the youngest in your clan?

I'm the youngest of three children. My mother is the youngest of three children and so is my father! Weird, huh?

Does any of this match your experience? I have two older sisters and that remains a difficult situation! I never knew if I was getting a smack or a hug. (Especially when they became teenagers.) To be fair, I could be a little brat too. But as adults we've put all those sibling wars to rest.

But I think sometimes I'll never be fully grown-up in their eyes. When the family is all together it's like we fall back into old roles and I feel twelve years old again. And it feels like they're towering over me. (Despite the fact I've got a foot and 100 pounds on both of them.) It's weird and nice sometimes when the adult world gets to hectic.

When my oldest sister had her first child, she said she kept doing this when he was two and running around, "My name-I mean Ethan, slow down!"

I was also the first person she told she was pregnant. We were going through a Burger King Drive-Thru and as we were pulling out of the parking lot she turned to me and said "Guess What"

Around a mouthful of Whopper I said, "What, you're pregnant?" (Completely joking.)

"Yep"

I just managed not spit my burger all over the dash. I looked at her and said,

"Mom and dad are going to fucking kill you!" She was only 18 and the pregnancy was very unplanned. But it worked out for the best and my nephew is one the best little guys around.

My other sister was more punchy. She was and remains an athletic tomboy with a taste for violence. Like a little, long-haired version of my dad. Wherever trouble was she wasn't far behind. But one incident sticks out.

I was 7 or 8 and being tormented by a bully every morning on the bus ride to school. One day he took off my hat and tossed it out a window. I went to school in tears. I don't know how it got back to my sister but it did and she walked up to the bully while he was at his locker and booted him right between the legs. I mean booted, she was alway wearing boots back then. She was suspended for two days. I never said anything to her and she didn't say anything to me. She had a wild youth and young adulthood, she works a rehab and homeless now helping people avoid the mistakes she made. It's a good fit for her.

Scorn and over-protection, those were the two watch-words for my sisters growing up. Sometimes it still amazes me. We're adults? Jobs, homes, spouses, kids and taxes? Weren't we just all in the rec room fighting over what TV show to watch? Man, what a trip.

I think I'll give them both a call this weekend. I think at 5am I admit I miss them sometimes.

[Angleae]

1. Younges child here too, by some considerable age difference.

4 living siblings (one died before I was born). Ages +9, +11, +12, +mid twenties (he was married and had a son 3 years before I was born and a daughter 4 days before*), and one brother older than that (still have never met the guy).

* I went to school occassionally with her, that got interesting sometimes. To her friends, "Oh, this is my uncle." Their expressions were memorable.

[hamsterjill]

5. Similar situation in my family

I'm the youngest of four by eight years.

As descriped in the OP, when we all get together, I will ALWAYS be "the baby who doesn't know anything" in their eyes. But I have a special relationship with each of them.

[av8rdave]

2. Youngest here of a huge brood of two

[melman]

3. I'm the youngest

I'm the youngest of three. My mom is the youngest of four, and my dad is too. One of my brothers died at 29, and the other I haven't spoken to in over three years.

[TK421]

4. youngest of eight

ummm, I agree with most of the body of this post, and could type forever but I'm leaving the apartment shortly

[guitar man]

6. I am

the youngest of 4, 1 brother and two sisters. :)

[MissMillie]

7. I am the youngest... by 27 minutes

My twin used to lord it over me. Now I get to tease her about being older than I.

[ceile]

8. Youngest of four by a good margin

My sister is 10 years and 4 months older than me, my brothers 11 and 12 years older. I was a bit spoiled- never had to worry about anything. But it was like having two moms, my sis was way over protective of me. We're just now becoming close friends- what I think sisters should be.

[rurallib]

9. I am the youngest of three brothers - 4 and 6 years older

and besides the beatings from my brothers there was another strange phenomena. When my brothers were old enough to take part time jobs, my parents began really cranking up their drinking.
So as I was mostly left alone with my usually drunk mother I would get an occasional beating from her as a surrogate for my father. He was working out of town and having affairs.
When they were home together, it was constant bickering. But mostly they spent their evenings at the tavern at the end of the street.
I am now 60. I brought this up around Christmas to my oldest brother. I told him that we were raised by different parents. His were usually home and semi-sober. Once my brothers were out working, I got the drunken bickering and occasionally violent parents. Not good for a nine or ten year old.
He doesn't believe me. I almost felt bad about bringing it up, but twas true.

[greencharlie]

10. no

only kid here.

[JonLP24]

11. For a brief period in my life

I was the youngest child. For most of my life and today I'm the oldest sibling.

[Glorfindel]

12. The youngest of four by quite a bit

I'm closer in age to my nieces and nephews than to my siblings.

[supernova]

13. Youngest of three

My sister is 13 years older than I am and my brother is 10 years older.

Being only just shy of about four years apart, sis and bro to me always seemed to have a more chummy club than the three of us.

They were gone and out of the house by the time I was old enough to really play and interact. Therefore, the bulk of my experience is as an only child. Sis and Bro were people who came to visit every month or holiday Dad Retired from the VA when I was in Jr Hi and Mom worked at the Jr High school. Dad was somewhat sullen as a consequence. I don't remember a lot of emotional support from him. That was mostly my mother.

I don't know that they will ever see me as a grown up equal to them, but now I'm not so invested in that as I was when I was a young adult.

[texanwitch]

20. I feel like a only child.

My parent broke up after I was born, they breaking up before I was born.

I was surprise baby.

My older brothers and sister grew up together, I grew up later with my young aunt.

I got a better deal out of it.

My mother was never really in the picture for them and my father did travel a lot.

I really never knew them, and don't care to.

[Kali]

14. You mean that spoiled little shit that never got in trouble

and was allowed to do any and everything they wanted? No, I'm the oldest.

[AngryOldDem]

15. Youngest of three, here...

20- and 17-year age difference.

I will never forget nor forgive the "intervention" they and their spouses had shortly after my father died. I was in my early 20s, just out of college, and staying at home because my mother had never been by herself before. I was in no real position to move out. I was broadsided by the bullshit that I was a burden on my mom and that my life was a waste. This, mind you, coming from people who, up until then, had pretty much ignored me.

Much later, when I was living out of state with my husband and kids, the older one drunk-dialed me one day and reamed me out for ignoring our mom, who, **unbeknownst to me,** had been in the hospital. And again -- my life sucked and I needed a good kick. This, coming from someone who I had not seen in over two years at that time.

The older one is now dead of alcoholism; the younger is a complete bitch who I've not seen since my second-oldest was about a week old, about 17 years ago now.

Don't miss either of them. At all. Family has been my Achilles' heel for years, and I am glad as hell they are out of my life.

[Maine-ah]

16. youngest of 4

oldest is 10 years older than me

[texanwitch]

17. Youngest of 4 kids.

Being the youngest is both good and bad.

Mostly good.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

18. Younger of two.

Big sister was almost seven years older. She carried me around on her hip; we were inseparable. I called her "Sister" for years. When she was in college, I was in sixth grade and read her freshman psychology textbook. She took me bowling and tuned up my car. She loved working on cars and she got a '66 Sting Ray convertible that was the fastest thing in town.


She passed away from brain cancer when she was just 42. She worked at M.D. Anderson Hospital for the head of the Pathology Dept. It will be twenty years this summer and I miss her every single day of my life. It's hell becoming an only child in your thirties.

Her death absolutely destroyed me and my parents for YEARS.

[grace0418]

19. Youngest of eleven.

It's just as ridiculous as it sounds, but true.

[proteus_lives]

21. That's not a family, that's a starting line-up!

;-)

[AzDar]

22. Me!

Of two...

[mnhtnbb]

23. Younger sister to one older brother.

[surrealAmerican]

24. I'm the younger of two siblings ...

... three years apart. My sister was small for her age, and we were frequently asked if we were twins. She really hated that.

[azmouse]

25. Youngest of three

Two older brothers... I'm the only girl.

[UTUSN]

26. Youngest of 3 & big gap plus older parents - some special circumstances for us youngest

1) My parents were 40 when I came along.

2) My sisters were 8 and 10 yrs older than I.

3) Most of the playfulness of young families was over, plus the routines were set, most of the big decisions were settled - so the youngest has little "power."


4) Now, my parents and elder sister are gone. When the second sister tells everybody about summer trips to the beach and other events - I say, "Did we grow up in the SAME family?!1"


It really is like being an only child. And growing up with sort of all "older" people cuts both ways--- maybe seeming to be more mature than peers at school, yet always "young" or immature.

[Withywindle]

27. Yes.

But I'm also the oldest. :)

[Odin2005]

28. ME! ME! ME!!!

My only sibling is my sister, who is 10 years older than me, spoiled me rotten!

[baldguy]

29. Youngest of four.

I'm also the tallest - and fattest.