'You're responsible for organising... everything.' 6 things eldest daughters know to be true.

As the oldest child of four daughters, I know all about the unique struggle of being the eldest daughter.

Don't get me wrong... being an older sister is a glorious role. Outdated hand-me-downs don't really exist, you tend to be closer to your parents before the rest of your siblings, and typically the role of being an older sibling instills a strong sense of work ethic and independence in you. 

But it would be a lie if we didn't acknowledge that being a big sister can be a pretty hard slog. 

Watch the unspoken, heroic acts of sisterhood. Post continues after video. 

From being forced to babysit your petulant little siblings, to the unbelievably strict rules you had growing up that no one else had, it can all get a little bit exhausting.

So, here are six things the eldest daughter of any family absolutely knows to be true. 

1. You are the scapegoat. Every. Single. Time. 

If you're the oldest kid, then you'd be very familiar with the scolding from your parents that goes a bit like this: "You are the oldest and you should know better." GIVE. ME. A. BREAK.

There's not much that isn't your fault, because an eldest daughter's responsibility is to set the example, and your own mistakes, troubles and misgivings are a very bad precedent to set for your younger siblings. 

"My younger sibling once slammed a glass door closed on my hand, which resulted in me needing seven stitches on both my wrist and thumb. The blame lay entirely in my bloodied hands, for not 'gaging when they would close the door'." 

You live, and you learn, I suppose. 

'Found this beauty. A note I wrote to my parents about my younger brother... I was seven, he was four.' Image: Supplied/Jess Neild. 

2. Family holidays are your responsibility.

Many Mamamia Outlouders informed us that most holiday planning rests solely in the very responsible hands of the eldest daughter. 

"You will organise all birthday and Christmas parties until long after everyone grows up and leaves home."

Uh, accurate.

3. Babysitting is an eldest daughter's first job.

On top of the school work, managing a social life, and dealing with parents who are much stricter on you than your younger siblings - there is also the burden of babysitting them.

"I would argue the job is tougher than any I have had in my other careers. Working in fast food and retail personally didn't compare, because my siblings didn't like me being the boss and my parents didn't like to pay me."

We hear ya. 

4. Youngest siblings become your first taste of motherhood. 

I love my little sisters (yes, I still call them little even though they are adults now), but being forced to raise them watch over them when you're barely a kid yourself? 

It is not a fun job. 

Aside from babysitting the little gremlins, you also may feel obliged to care and coddle them for eternity. You're not crazy for doing so, you're just the eldest sister. 

"There is an innate feeling to want to take on all the problems of your younger siblings and relieve their pain. (I’ve got four younger siblings. It’s a lot)."

Listen to This Glorious Mess, Mamamia's parenting podcast. Post continues after audio.

5. Parents are toughest on the oldest sibling.

The eldest daughter got the earliest bed time and the roughest curfews. And yet somehow, the baby of the family managed to dodge these rules.

We're not sure how, but parents tend to go the easiest on their younger kids, who often got the cooler toys as well as the option to stay up way past their bedtime. 

"My upbringing was so strict, I didn't have many friends because I wasn't permitted to do ANYTHING. When my brother became a teenager, he no longer had a bedtime and stayed out until well after midnight! Parents stopped caring it seems."

However, a strict upbringing tends to bring out the best in us. So, maybe it wasn't such a bad thing that we weren't allowed out of our beds past 7.30pm. 

6. You're the boss of the family. 

While being the eldest daughter may mean there are a few downsides, it also means you (usually) are the boss. Nothing gets approved without your say so, and if you try to pull a sly one past us? 

Well, good luck. 

Feature Image: Getty.