Birth order
I'm the oldest--my brother is 2 1/2 years younger than I am. I think I fit the profile of the oldest child (for the most part anyway). I tend to be an overly organized, sensitive perfectionist. My parents, like the parents of many other people who have posted on this thread, were divorced. I was 17 at the time and getting ready to go off to college; I don't recall being saddled with too many extra responsibilities at home.
Now that I have children of my own, I get to see birth-order stereotypes at work. My older daughter, who's 4 1/2, is a lot like me (which may or may not be a good thing). Even at such a young age, she's a little perfectionist worrywart who tries to mother everyone. Her sister, who will be two in July, is the exact opposite. She's one of the happiest, friendliest, most carefree children I've ever been around. It'll be interesting to see if they'll have similar personality traits as they get older.
I'm the oldest--my brother is 2 1/2 years younger than I am. I think I fit the profile of the oldest child (for the most part anyway). I tend to be an overly organized, sensitive perfectionist. My parents, like the parents of many other people who have posted on this thread, were divorced. I was 17 at the time and getting ready to go off to college; I don't recall being saddled with too many extra responsibilities at home.
Now that I have children of my own, I get to see birth-order stereotypes at work. My older daughter, who's 4 1/2, is a lot like me (which may or may not be a good thing). Even at such a young age, she's a little perfectionist worrywart who tries to mother everyone. Her sister, who will be two in July, is the exact opposite. She's one of the happiest, friendliest, most carefree children I've ever been around. It'll be interesting to see if they'll have similar personality traits as they get older.
