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| The oldest (Eleanor) and youngest (the Tornado) in Tampa in 2010 |
Birth order is a strange thing and comes out in odd ways. My husband is the youngest of 2 and if you met him and his brother you'd think the order was reversed. J's brother is loud and always the center of attention while J is Mr. Responsible and on the quiet side until you get to know him.
I don't think mine would be too big of a shock - I'm an Only. I'm not the center of the world kind of only but I'm very much of a "my stuff is my stuff and don't mess with it" kind of only. They idea of someone going through my stuff and messing with it makes me twitchy even as an adult. I have a feeling it would've driven me absolutely crazy as a child!
The downside of being an only child is that I had no idea how bickering works. When J and I got married - me bringing in 1 child and him 2 - we had an instant large family and they spent a lot of time bickering. It took me awhile to get my head around the fact that that was normal and that it didn't mean they hated each other.
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| The 2 youngest - 2010 |
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| The baby and the middle |
So what are you? Do you think your birth order shows in your personality?
What a great post! I love getting an inside look at one of my favorite bloggers ❤️☺️
ReplyDeleteI had two older siblings, one was 11 years older and the other 12 years older so I basically grew up like an only child. My husband and I have one child and he married another Only Child. Since they have had a baby and don't plan to have any more, there is another only child. Clear as mud?!
I am the second but we are 8 years apart so I was more only child like really. My husband is the oldest of three and you can tell. He is very much an oldest child. I am interested to see how my kids turn out and if the birth order stuff holds.
ReplyDeleteI have one brother, 3 years younger than I. My husband--it's so complicated. He is the oldest of 5 that his parents had together. Then his parents got divorced, each married someone with 3 children and each had another child. And strangely enough, he/they all get along--all 13 of them! But, he is very much an "oldest' in personality. We have 3 boys ourselves and I don't see the typical birth order working in our family. It's all interesting.
ReplyDeleteMy siblings are much older, so in a way I am like an only child, but then again, not. I think there are conflicts when I act like an only, but my siblings see me as the youngest.
ReplyDeleteI'm an only too. I loved being an only child as a child, but I hate it now. I think it's scar when you think about your parents getting older and needing help. It's just me and although I'm glad to help my parents, it's a toll emotionally.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know you were an only, Katherine. :-) My daughter is an only and sometimes I worry how that will affect her down the road. At the moment she has an imaginary older brother who she bosses around. I was the oldest of two and definitely act like it. Same with my husband. I was an adult when I discovered I had an older half-sister. I still think of myself as the oldest child, given that is how I was raised.
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting topic, I was an only child until I was 11 then my sister was born. I remember wanting a sibling because being an only got a little boring at times. I think that's why I read so much too. And I think my sister felt like an only at times after I was out of the house, due to the age difference.
ReplyDeleteI was just replying on your comment on my blog that I would have thought you grew up with at least one sister. I do have the "my stuff is my stuff" only child trait though. I guess that comes from never having to share a bedroom, ha ha. I moved out of the house when my half sister was two, so she acts very much like!e an only, so I think you are right and that is what The Tornado will be like. :)
ReplyDeleteBirth order is definitely an interesting aspect of family life. Some of my best friends were "onlies" and I enjoyed visiting at their houses, because they were catered to more than in my house. LOL.
ReplyDeleteI was the youngest of two for eight years...and then my younger brother was born, moving me to middle child. I was in that position until I was thirteen, when my sister was born. So...then I was number two.
I had four kids, and my youngest (and only girl) was five years younger than the youngest of the three boys. Being an only girl, she was a bit spoiled. But also overly protected by her brothers.
Thanks for sharing!
My husband is the youngest of 6 and they are all close in age. I have an older half-sister and a younger sister. My older sister only got to be with us on weekends and married very young. On a day to day basis, I was the oldest kid in the house. I think the differences are very apparent in our personalities.
ReplyDeleteMy kids are 5 1/2 years apart and love each other but they almost seem like two only children in a lot of ways. I expect fighting and never really saw too much of it. Their personalities couldn't be more different either.
I love the pics of your family. My daughter hates for anyone to touch her stuff so I totally know what you are talking about there.
Great post!
I was an only child for 7 years, then my brother came along and ruined everything. lol. My son is an only child, and your description about bickering made me think of him. He became best friends with a boy in 6th grade (he's in college now) who has two older brothers. They grew closer over the years, and he's now considered one of their brothers. For the first few years though, wasn't sure how to take all the ... rough brotherly love between them. lol
ReplyDeleteI'm second of eight kids, it was my brother and then seven girls! So I feel like an oldest since a lot of responsibility for helping with the younger kids fell to me. Let me tell you, nobody liked anyone going through their stuff in our family. Sharing was a good concept but in practice, not so much. We're all friends now.
ReplyDeleteGreat pics of your kids. I'm almost sixteen years older than the youngest!
In my family you can totally see the birth order, actually in my kids too. My older brother is very mature and does things by the book, I am the rebel, and my baby sister is the black sheep,(baaaah!). I think it is sort of funny how that goes. With blended families I think they will have to make a whole new set of rules.
ReplyDeleteBoth my hubby and I are the oldest child and fit the profile. Our children are a tad different because while my daughter is the oldest, my second child is a boy (first son) so that changes the dynamics. The baby our youngest daughter is outgoing and adored by all:)
ReplyDeleteI'm an only child and I definitely fit the profile. So does our daughter. My mom was the second child, the peacemaker in her family.
ReplyDeleteLike you, I didn't know how to handle bickering. My mom remarried when I was in middle school. My (step-)sister and brother, who visited us on weekends, would sometimes bicker on purpose just to get me worked up! Most of the time we all got along pretty well, though. Despite the fact that we never lived in the same house full-time, my sister and I have always been very close, to the point that I don't call her my stepsister---she's just my sister. So in a way, I had the best of being an only child AND the best of having siblings. :-)
I'm the oldest of two. My brother and I are pretty much three years apart to the day. My brother was a handful with quite a bit of behavioral problems. As we got older we didn't get along at all. In fact it wasn't till out twenties were we could be around each other and not fight. We even rented a house together for a year. #weird
ReplyDeleteAnyways, from about seven I was pretty intensely into soccer. My mom was my coach for pretty much my entire career. So we spent a lot of traveling around just the two of us. And sometimes with my brother. He'd hang with the other siblings. I don't think it was ever jealousy between us. We just played our fought. Lol
I'm an only too! And yes the same kind of only as you. I cannot stand for people to touch my things or move them around. Drives me batty.
ReplyDeleteI'm the oldest and you can definitely see the birth order "rules" working in my family of three. And then I have three kids and there, the rules are kind of turned on their head - my younger two are definitely more responsible and better at follow up than my oldest.
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