The First Lamb to the Slaughter
To the eldest daughter who is tired but keeps going, this is for you.
You didn’t choose to be the strong one.
You didn’t choose to grow up early.
You didn’t choose to carry the pressure that should’ve been shared.
But life placed it on your shoulders
and you carried it with trembling hands.
“Every eldest daughter
was the first lamb to the slaughter.”
And you know it.
You were the first to take the blame.
The first to sacrifice.
The first to feel pressure.
The first to face the expectations.
The first to be told to “set an example,”
even if it meant breaking yourself quietly.
You showed courage even when you were scared.
You showed stability even when you were breaking.
And you learned caution from pain, responsibility from fear, and strength from survival.
College didn’t make it easier.
You study while thinking about your family.
You smile while holding back your own fears.
You push yourself because you believe you’re not allowed to fail.
You stay silent because you think your emotions are a burden.
You avoid love because you think you’re too complicated to be chosen.
You give everything because you don’t know how to ask for anything.
Get Ellipse’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
But please remember this:
You don’t always have to be the brave one.
You don’t always have to be the one who understands.
You don’t always have to sacrifice your happiness just to keep the peace.
You deserve love that doesn’t hurt.
You deserve rest without guilt.
You deserve to be cared for the way you care for everyone else.
Maybe you’ve been told you’re “too much,” “too emotional,” or “too sensitive.”
But you’re not. You were just carrying things nobody else had to.
And one day, you will step into a life that feels soft again,
a life where you don’t have to pretend you’re okay,
a life where someone finally chooses you the way you’ve always chosen others.
So to every eldest daughter:
You are not alone.
You are not too much.
You are not failing.
You are doing your best and that is more than enough. 🌷
-Ellipse
