From parental favouritism to finding your sibling’s friends extremely annoying, there are some things universal to the older sibling experience…

1. You’re an expert babysitter

You’re a natural in loco parentis, because it’s definitely not your first rodeo. Even a small age gap can lend you an aura of responsibility, and you were probably left in charge of the little ones when fairly little yourself.

With a modicum of experience comes great responsibility. Now, if only you were that good at looking after yourself.

2. Yes, you were hard done by

It doesn’t matter how much your parents deny it, you were watched more closely and punished more harshly. Some stereotypes are just true.

3. Your inner child is quite close to the surface

Family activities arguably age at the rate of their youngest member, and you were surrounded by childhood long after you left most of it behind. You probably watch Scooby Doo in adulthood, and bicker over the remote control. It’s OK to still secretly enjoy it all. We won’t tell.

4. Your sibling’s age is far more worrying than your own

When you turned 18, it was ‘look out world, here I come’. But when your baby brother achieves adulthood, it’s time to invest in a zimmer frame. You know they’re actually 13. How did this happen?

5. You had to help more around the house

Many hands make light work, and there’s no point in your younger sibling emptying the dishwasher when it’s been your job for nigh on a decade. It’s simple division of labour: good economics, maybe not such good parenting.

6. Your younger siblings still have your stuff

The hand-me-down hierarchy never ends. First it was clothes you grew out of as a toddler, then the video games your siblings were initially too young for, then the crockery you used at university, then the IKEA furniture you bought for your first house.

You secretly wish you could have at least some of it back.

7. The day they first beat you at something was dreadful

Maybe it was tennis, maybe it was Mario Kart, maybe it was being tall enough to reach the biscuits without standing on the stool. For parents, it’s a proud moment. For older siblings, the day your dominance came to a close.

8. You’ll always be the older sibling

It is a truth universally acknowledged that family get-togethers (virtual or otherwise) cause everyone to revert to type. It doesn’t matter how many companies you run, it’s practically the law that you still slip your siblings a sneaky elbow when mum’s not looking.

9. You still get to sit in the front seat

The day your sibling gets the front seat in the car is the day you leave the family. The front seat is sacred. There are rules.