It’s not exactly easy being the bunso of the family. Between the high expectations and merciless teasing, life as the youngest sibling wasn’t all being the favorite. Being the bunso was tough, and had its fair share of struggles.
8. You’ll always be known as THE baby
It doesn’t matter how old you are, you’re ALWAYS the baby. You’ll always be the drooling hyperactive toddler who wet themselves during family gatherings. Hey, at least you were cute while you were at it. Also, you still always hear “ang laki mo na ha! Dati hanggang (relative points to their waist) dito ka lang, o!” at family reunions.
7. You always fought for the power of the remote control
And you always lost. You got stuck watching your older sibling’s favorite shows, leaving you way out of touch of what other kids your age were into.
6. They always used you to practice their wrestling moves
5. You were always in your older sibling’s shadow
It’s as if no matter what you do, your kuya’s or your ate’s accomplishments and achievements are always bigger than yours. Oh you aced the math exam? No one cares, since your older sibling just graduated (and probably also achieved your milestone years earlier).
4. The hand-me-downs
It didn’t matter if you had different taste from your older siblings, or if you hated their taste altogether. Hand-me-downs were always forced on you. Your parents gave you these cringe-worthy items for every occasion. You’re gonna wear kuya’s over-sized plaid polo and baggy elephant pants and you’re going to like it. Or else.
3. The older siblings were always entitled
Since they were born first, they feel that they have the right to everything. The right to call shotgun, the right for the last slice of pizza, the top bunk, the bigger room in the house; you name it, they called dibs on it. To this day, they feel that they deserve more since you came in last. Most days they even felt they had the right to make you their utusan for being the last in succession. You tried to fight back, but your parents usually sided with them.
Hell, they’re even entitled to do this:
When things got heated, your older siblings would tell you that you were adopted and that your parents don’t love you. Worse, that you were an accident and that your dad should’ve worn a condom.
2. You were always compared to your ate or kuya
Constantly being compared does nothing but damage your self-worth. That didn’t stop your parents, though. Since your older siblings set the standard, parents couldn’t help but compare you, so you were always struggling to try and live up to your parents’ expectations and not let them down.
For teachers, that’s a different story. If ate or kuya was a valedictorian or hell-raiser, expectations were always set. You were stereotyped well before you ever set foot in the classroom.
1. It all turned out for the best
You understood where your siblings were coming from. Maybe they were just pissed off that you were treated differently from them. Maybe at one point, they got jealous since you got all the attention since you were the precious baby, the bunso in the family. Your siblings may have seen you as the favorite at some point in their lives, hence the abuse and teasing. Even though you drive each other crazy, you all know you’d be lost without each other. You taught each other so much about life, and you’re thankful to have them around.
You also enjoy each other’s company. Well, most of the time.
How about you? What was it like being the bunso of the family? Still harbor ill will to your bunso/ate/kuya? Sound off in the comments section!
