Figuring Out Firstborn Baggage, One Emotional Carry-On at a Time

 This week, I’m unpacking the glamorous curse that is oldest daughter syndrome—the unspoken role of family project manager, the permanent “can you handle this?” energy, and the way it shapes how we love, fight, and people-please. I reflect on the theory that other oldest siblings might secretly be our best matches, how my own sibling and parent dynamics sent me packing from the East Coast to Chicago, and the weird guilt that comes with putting distance between you and the people you love. It’s reflective, a little uncomfortably honest, and still sprinkled with dry humor—because if you can’t laugh about your firstborn baggage, you might actually cry...or cry anyway.