To think being the eldesr has practically zero advantages

[sunshineinabag]

All this Xmas talk makes me realise the one benefit of being the eldest: still getting stockings well past the non believing age so your parents can keep the fantasy alive for the younger ones. YES!!!!

But other than that being the eldest sucks. Fighting every little battle first re staying out etc. The sad solitude of leaving your childhood behind whilst the younger ones continue being kids. Clashes with parents. Extra responsibility and chores.

Oldest is PFB, they get undivided parental time, and as they are first they are more likely to have more effort put in - see the above PP re photos.
As an oldest I got to stay up later alone, was the first to be allowed out with friends, sleepovers etc, and didn't get hand-me-downs. I also got more of the "happy years" - more memories of places and people we sadly won't see again, and more memories of the rosy childhood days when my parens still got along - I sometimes forget how much of a benefit that was until my sister comments on her lack of Memories. I know friends who have also said the eldest are praised more - she never did anything "great" because her two older sisters had already done it first, and it was expected of her as well.

You also get the responsibilities, though. Mutual bad behaviour is worse as "you should know better", you're often responsible for younger siblings, and when older more of the financial and other burdens fall on you. And in some cases older siblings feel sidelined in favour of younger more dependant children. Plus in my case, I was also regarded as the "boring" sibling as I took the flak for bad behaviour so nagged them a lot. Plus younger siblings always broke or stole my things!

Malpais - YES to getting everything. I know that DSis will inherit more. When she had 2 young kids mum was giving her all the baby stuff, even though she knew I was doing IVF and desperate for a baby. Totally insensitive. I actually ended up crying one time as my mum asked me to help pack up baby stuff she could give to DSis. I felt that even if I had 100 kids they wouldn't get a single thing because everything had to go to the oldest child of the oldest child. I know that my sister will get all 'keepsakes' while I get sweet FA. That will leave me with a choice of having to fight my own corner when I really shouldn't have to, or never having a single thing to remember my parents by.

Oh, and I'm sure that it would have been massively frowned upon, even obstacles in the way, if I'd wanted to get married before DSis or had children first. Seriously. She pretty much gets to walk into rooms in front of me like a character out of Jane Austen.

Glumglowworm are you sure are aren’t the same person

My youngest is currently complaining cos his older brother gets to stay up later. It's not fair apparently (he's 3).

I actually have no youngest' back a lot because I was the youngest and can see the injustices e.g. Being physically weaker so less able to defend yourself in sibling tussles

Have my youngest's back

my 2nd child (age 6) got in a strop earlier this week and spent 5 minutes raving about how Santa wasn't real, it was just parents, she was going to be as vile as she wanted to be and she didn't care etc, all the while my 10yo barely breathed, in fear of DD2 being cut off by Santa and getting coal

Bless her.

Oldest child has more time with parents alive - particularly relevant if they die in your teens... (not me, but someone close to me)

I'm the eldest and still get a stocking even though I have two kids and a husband - the youngest is 18 and knows there's no Santa, but if my mum had it her way we'd probably all be opening them in our brand new pyjamas.

Being older does have some advantages - I used to get left at home before all the others so I got some peace, once they were old enough to stay home too I was "in charge" - which really amounted to getting them to help me find mum's chocolate stash so we could nick it.

I got to buy them cool birthday/Xmas prezzies once I had a job, rather than something I could get them with the £10 mum gave me and be the cool older sister.

I got to go pub with dad and then take them out on their 18ths.

I dunno about other families, but as kids the others kind of vied for my approval somewhat - which could be a bit of an ego boost or incredibly annoying depending on how they went about it.

I should add though, I am not the favourite of my dad or mum - that's one of the middles and the baby respectively, though I seem to be second favourite of both.

I was made an example out of time and time again while my younger brother got away with murder.