Sibling rivalry(younger vs older)

[radiocat]

Are you the youngest child or the oldest child in the family? Do the younger one or the older one tend to be more jealous/envious of the other? Do you think the oldest child tend to be the leader while the youngest one always behave like the baby in the family? On average is the older child more inclined to success(career) than the younger ones because of the innate leadership capabilities instilled in them.

[flysolo.]

there shud be no rivalry in family

[Ninshark]

I'm the younger, I am more spoiled than my sister is with love. My sister is more spoiled with resources though... My sister always had to take care of me and let me have my way, because yes, I'm like the baby. privileges of love... Sometimes I feel that my sister is jealous of that, that my parents treat me better, and defend me more than they defend her against each other. My sister also "babysits" me, my friends say out of love, but I think cynically that it's moreso obligation.

[Guest rjkgr]

sad to say but im the younger brother and its only me and my brother and i dont not believe that at all, because yes they do have the leadership until you learn how to be a leader too and im surpassing him easily right now and we are only 3 years a part

[odaesan]

radiocat said: On average is the older child more inclined to success(career) than the younger ones because of the innate leadership capabilities instilled in them.

[Guest xxjojoahnxx]

It's not really jealously, but the thought that you have to be as good or better than them. I'm the youngest btw lol

[Guest paperclipmemory]

As a middle child, I am considered both younger and older... LOL Growing up I did feel rivalry between my older sister and myself, however that began to fade when I matured. You basically grow out of that rivalry or in my case I did anyways... Simply because if what they do does not impact you or your life, then who cares lol. And being an older sibling for my younger sister, she looked up to me and surpassed me in most of my academic achievements. Which is awesome I would say! So ya sure when I was young there was those random instances of rivalry and jealousy but it is definitely something I grew out of. I believe everyone succeeds in their own way on their own pace

[Guest Mentor]

radiocat said: Are you the youngest child or the oldest child in the family? Do the younger one or the older one tend to be more jealous/envious of the other? Do you think the oldest child tend to be the leader while the youngest one always behave like the baby in the family? On average is the older child more inclined to success(career) than the younger ones because of the innate leadership capabilities instilled in them.

[Guest ZoidbergMD]

my brother and I run a gauntlet each year to determine who is the better child.

fair play all the way!

[Guest hearthealer]

Oldest kid with one younger sibling. I don't think he's envious of me (he says I'm smarter, but he's way more athletic than i am so that evens out), he does get more of the doting parents, they go a lot easier on him...case in point, i was pushed into a tough major whereas they're letting him decide what he wants etc.

I guess I'm generally the leader, at least I was growing up, we're now on par but he takes cues from me and learned a lot from me growing up (like handling young kids, manners etc.)....
I do tend to baby him somewhat, even though he's in his late teens now and in the military, because no matter what he'll always be my little kid brother. Sucks to be him

[MrPower]

Long post ahead.

I'm the youngest in my family. That automatically makes me the baby of the family. While it affords me more leeway, it also makes me feel as though I am given more freedom and breaks (quite unfairly so) than my sister. 

Every eldest child in a family is always the guinea pig for the parents. They tend to bear the burden of setting the bar, and meet, exceed, or far short of it. However, out of those pressures, my sister turned out to be highly successful and though it's unsaid, I'm still living in her shadow. Despite being only 2 1/2 years older than me, she has already started her doctorate's degree, and had scholarships for both her master and undergraduate degree. She graduated magna cum laude with special honors as the outstanding student (and even giving a speech in front of the graduating class), along with winning countless competitions from age 5-25. She's definitely one hard act to follow.

But I've long since realized that our successes and failures do not solely depend upon when we escaped the womb. Though our upbringing may have been altered due to our timing of arrival, we were both afforded different opportunities, and made choices accordingly. We both excel in different aspects of life, and have accepted that we each have our own set of weaknesses and strengths.

Though I still feel as though I'm living in the shadow of my family members (I'm the only one without a master's), it encourages me to do well in whatever field I choose. It isn't seen as a rivalry, but rather a personal bar that I set for myself. I follow in example of my family members, as we have our own paths.

TLDR: We're all different. An example can be set by siblings, but everybody has their own paths. My sister has outstanding talents, but that only serves to encourage me to do better with my life. It's not a competition, because we're not playing in the same tournament, or by the same rules.