Being the oldest sibling means being the practice run and the role model at once. That pressure is also leadership.

LEADERSHIP

WHAT THIS MEANS

Going first in a family means being watched twice: once while you work something out, and once by whoever is copying you. Nobody designed that arrangement, and it carries a weight that is easy to resent and hard to name. What it also builds is the habit of going first, which is most of what leading consists of. The cost and the training arrived together.

Be honest with the younger ones about what you got wrong, since that helps them more than a performance would. Then ask for the room to work things out badly. Being the example does not require being finished.

A QUESTION TO SIT WITH

Who watches how you handle things at home?

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