Why Being the Firstborn is a Full-Time Job

Why was I born first? who asked me to come first? That is the question I ask the universe every time I look at my younger siblings. Being the firstborn in a Nigerian home isn't just a birth order,it’s a full-time, high-stakes management position that you never applied for.

​In my house, being the eldest means I am the deputy parent.

​If the remote is lost, it’s my fault.
​If the house is messy, I’m the supervisor.
​If the younger ones act like they weren't raised with manners, I get that Is this how you're leading them?Look from my parents.
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If I spent my childhood being the trial version for my parents' parenting skills. By the time they got to the last born, they were tired and soft. While I was getting lectured for coming home five minutes late, the younger one seem to have a much longer leash.

​If I make a mistake, it’s a tragedy. They tell me, Remember, they are looking up to you.Excuse me, when did I become a lighthouse? I’m also just trying to figure out this thing called life.

​There is a specific type of financial and emotional tax you pay. You are the pioneer of everything.The first to go to university,the first to go for NYSC, the first to navigate the job market.

There’s that unspoken expectation to send something home the moment you earn your first 1,000 Naira. Thankfully, my parents understand that I’m still figuring things out, but even without their pressure, I think about it almost every day.

​Being a firstborn has taught me responsibility and resilience, but omo, sometimes I just want to be the one who doesn't know where the broom is for once.

​What about you? What is the most ridiculous thing you’ve been blamed for just because you’re the eldest?