It's a fact that no kid who grew up in the '90s can deny: Full House taught us everything we know about growing up and being part of a family. From Danny, we learned what a great dad looks like, and Uncle Jesse made all of our uncles look, well, totally lame. Stephanie was the quintessential middle sister right down to her glorious, infamous catchphrase, "How rude!" And Michelle? Well, Michelle was the ultimate little sister.
As the youngest of three, I know I took my share of tips from the Michelle Tanner School of Little Sisterhood. She taught me how to make my cuteness work as long as it lasted, how to turn guilting my older siblings into playing with me into an art form, and how to deal with the less desirable parts of being the baby of the family... like forever being referred to as the baby of the family. Being the little sister comes with its own responsibilities, as Michelle so ably illustrated over eight seasons, including being there for the rest of your family.
Check out seven times when Michelle totally defined what it meant to be a little sister:
1. Michelle Gets Away with Everything, Including Guilting Uncle Jesse and Rebecca into Not Moving Out
One of the major perks of being the youngest is that you rarely ever get into serious trouble. Case in point? That time Michelle convinced Uncle Jesse and Rebecca to remain in the Tanner house after they got married. Michelle's machinations were heartwarming because she was young and cute and had an extra special bond with Jesse. But can you imagine if Stephanie or DJ had been the masterminds behind the plan? They weren't the baby of the family, so it wouldn't have worked.
2. When Michelle Got Dragged into Stephanie and DJ's Room Battle
There comes a time in every little sister's life when they get stuck in the middle of an argument between their older siblings, or worse, they become the solution to the argument. This is exactly what happened during Stephanie and DJ's ongoing room battles, which ultimately culminated with Michelle moving in with Stephanie so DJ could have her own room. Oh, the humanity!
3. That Time Michelle Didn't Want to Go Back to School
As a little sister, we come to expect certain things out of life at an early age, and one of the key things is we get our way at least 85 percent of the time. It's not until school crops up that the rules start to change, and Michelle ran into several speed bumps once she left The Shire that was the Tanner house. The first time was when she was too embarrassed to go back to preschool after an unfortunate incident with the class bird, and another was when she wasn't given the coveted role of Yankee Doodle Dandy. The lesson Michelle had to learn: school does not care about your birth order.
4. When Michelle Copied Everything Stephanie Did
I am about to divulge a top secret little sister truth: we desperately want the approval of our older siblings. It doesn't matter how many tricks they play on us, how many times they tell us we're too little to play with them, or how much we may annoy them — we look up to you dummies. So when Michelle started copying Stephanie's every move in the Season 4 episode "Good News, Bad News," it may have been part of a game — but for little sisters, copying our older siblings when we are kids is actually part of a lifestyle.
5. When Uncle Jesse Knew Just How to Get a Secret Out of Her
Little sisters can go undetected when they want to. That means we hear things, or we are told things in confidence — but it is pretty easy to get secrets out of us. It's the family's fault: Sometimes we are the center of attention, sometimes we are completely overlooked, so when someone offers us a good bribe, we take it. Michelle held out for the ultimate ice cream sundae when Jesse wanted the deets on Rebecca's baby shower, and I always admired her for it.
6. Michelle Gets Jealous of the Twins
A little sister's claim to fame is that she is the youngest. When new cousins, siblings, or any other interlopers are introduced into the fray, things get complicated. Those kids are on your turf. Michelle's reaction to Uncle Jesse and Rebecca having twins completely made sense. Her bond with Jesse was special and the thought of having new babies around was a threat. However, Michelle learned what we all learn eventually: it feels good to have new people in the family who look up to you for a change.
7. Every Time She Did Something Adorable
All those adorable/silly things we did as kids inevitably becomes the topic of conversation whenever the family gets together. Being the little sister is both a blessing and a curse. As far as your family is concerned, you will always be the baby. Hey, at least we know our cuteness was appreciated in its time.
Images: ABC; Giphy (7)
