Most people think being the oldest child is great. You don't have anyone to boss you around; your bedtime is the latest, and you have the most privileges (even if some are, admittedly, hand-picked). You are admired by your younger siblings.

But sometimes, I wish I was the youngest. I wish I had someone to sit on my lap and cuddle with me. I wish I didn't have to be a third parent. Sometimes I feel like a third, often ignored, pushed to the side, wheel. "We'll use you when we need you, and we'll put you back when we don't." Maybe I should wear a sign: "Scott for rent."

Right after Mom died, I had to step in. There was no time for me to whine and be a child. I had to help out raising four younger siblings. Yes, all boys. I had to deal with a depressed father and four very depressed and saddened children.

Suddenly, I was mommy and daddy, trying to teach Alan to tie his shoes, remind Gordon that no, he couldn't blow up the house; encourage Virgil's love of reading, and try and keep John from trying to reach the stars. I still remember the one day that he tried to leap off the tree house to see "a new star he'd just discovered."

Still… Being the oldest sibling is still good sometimes.

When I see Alan smiling at his baseball game, after he's just won his trophy, I can be proud of that.

When I saw Gordon standing at the Olympic podium, I could smile because I helped him get to the Olympic stand.

When John named a star after our mother, I can smile and say, I'm the one who kept him from trying to see the stars by jumping off of the tree house.

When Virgil got accepted into his college, I can smile and acknowledge that yes, I helped raise him.

Hell, maybe it's not so bad being an older brother after all.

It is sure nice to have the 12:00 A.M. curfew.

But could someone else besides me stop Alan from killing Gordon because Gordon put a fake spider in his bed? It's only 7:00 A.M. on Saturday. Maybe I should leave this one to Virgil…

I smile as I listen to my brother's bickering, and I close my eyes.


I'm the oldest of five, and let me tell you, some days it's very challenging. I think, however, that's why I can relate to Scott the best. So if you like Scott whump, stay tuned... XD