BellaOnline Forums Family Siblings Birth Order...

Moe,
I too am an only child, and I've always been interested in this stuff. I was raised by two middle children and I'm married to a middle as well. The middle child description is spot on for all three of them. I think onlys and middles are a pretty good match.

Lisa,
The triplet dynamics is fascinating. I guess it's also self-fulfilling to re-enforce the birth order "role" even when the age gap is only minutes.

Phyllis,
Years ago I read a book on this too. IIRC, it was called The Birth Order Book, but I don't remember the author's name. It was very interesting book and most everything in it seemed to be true for the people I knew.

I am the eldest. I have a younger sister, who is 14 months younger and a brother who is 10 years younger.
I do take more responsibility, but I am learning to let go!

I use to take on a lot more responsibility and times I still do but I have passed the torch on the the more responsible one! Not that I am not responsible but need a break once in awhile.

There are many days when all of my siblings will call to talk, complain, ask advice, etc. - got to the point my fiance asked if I was there mother...LOL

Guess it is part of being the big sister!

There is a huge age difference between my sisters and I. My eldest sister is 18 years older than me and my sister closest in age is 13 years older than me. Sometimes I feel like an only children, then I am reminded that I am not only child and also that I'm the baby of the family because my sisters love to treat me like I'm still 5. lol Quite annoying.

My siblings do treat the youngest like a baby (so do my parents at times). I have to keep reminding them that she is 20, and though an adult, still learning and, quite frankly, acting like a normal 20 year old. They have a hard time accepting that she can date who she wants, pick her own career and make her own decisions - whether good or bad.

Many times I have to remind the other what they were like at 20 - that always goes over well!

lol I'm sure it does, Allison!

I'd like to think I'm a "normal" 23-year-old yet, for my last birthday, one of my sisters gave me a stuffed cat as a gift. Trying not to sound ingrateful, I smiled and thanked her for it. But, all along, I was wondering who buys their 23-year-old sister a stuffed cat for her birthday. lol It was a bit embarrassing.

With three or more children it is easy to see the typical "birth order" patterns. I had just two children, my son is the oldest and my daughter six years younger. I do not see the pattern in them because one is male and one female. They both are very intelligent, independant and creative. They switch back and forth on being the nurturing one or the mentor.

I am the oldest child of three and I think that since I was the oldest, I grew up with alot of pressure to set a good example and watch my brother and sister.

I also read the Birth Order Book by Kevin Leman and the way he described the oldest child personality fit me to a tee.

This is really interesting to hear from others about 'Birth Order' and how it has affected lives and roles. It looks like large families do, indeed, have specific roles each child has inherited due to their place in the family. In families of royalty, the eldest is often the one who is expected to inherit the family title or kingdom and the second and each child after that receives less. I wonder, is that really fair? What if the eldest is not the best one to inherit the family wealth or title? How then is that handled?

I am the oldest of 3 girls I tend to be the caretaker. my middle sister is the smart intelligent one & my youngest one has quite a few health issues & since my mom is gone my sister tends to think of me as the mother figure,