Carol:
Baby Sister Tells All
Youngest children typically acquire wonderful social skills because of their interactions with older siblings. They are generally charming, playful, and sometimes a little absent-minded. Research seems to indicate that youngest children tend to be attracted to vocations that are people-oriented, such as sales and teaching. (Source: Birth Order and Space)
Megan and I both were grumbling a bit as we drew T131 out of the basket yesterday. Daughter said she didn’t know what to write about since she isn’t a Youngest Child. Mother said she didn’t know what to write about since she is a Youngest Child and didn’t want to badmouth her siblings…wait a minute, I could tell a few stories. . . in a charming, playful sort of way. If I can remember. Sometimes I am a wee bit absent-minded.
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| 1948 |
I agree that it’s a bit simplistic to think that all the torture and teasing I went through as a child was the direct consequence of my being Youngest Child (born June 7). It didn’t help that I was also the youngest grandchild and the only girl. Oh, sure. My brothers will unwind some kind of whiny sob story about how spoiled I was and how I didn’t have to wear hand-me-downs like they did or play chauffeur to a bratty little sister like they did. They probably think I should be grateful that I acquired wonderful social skills because of my interactions with them. Perhaps I do owe them something for playing a part in the shaping of my personality.
Oldest Brother (born June 9) taught me to be respectful and enterprising. He started college the same year I began kindergarten, so my childhood recollections of him are a bit fuzzy. But, he looked really impressive when he came home from College wearing his full ROTC uniform with knee-high boots. Even the time he arrived with a bleached stripe through his hair that made him look like a skunk. If I was really good, he would reward me by letting me pull off his boots for him. He later joined the Air Force and became a pilot. But, he was always working on something else, whether art or writing or starting up a new entrepreneurial venture with Middle Brother. He might not be surprised to hear that 21 of the 23 first astronauts and 2/3 of entrepreneurs are first born children (source: Samantha Murphy).
Middle Brother (born June 11) was starting junior high school when I was in kindergarten. He taught me how to be resilient and competitive. I didn’t cry hardly at all when he told me our cocker Taffy had chewed up my favorite doll. How did I know it was April Fool’s Day? I think I got over the nightmares pretty quickly after that babysitting incident when he pretended to be the “Five-fingered monster” from the Peter Lorre movie. And I long ago forgave him for cheating when we played Clue (and who knows how many other times at cards or Scrabble). That “win at all costs” attitude toughened me up, and I attribute my superior gamesmanship skills as an adult to him. Middle Brother’s career path meets many of the strengths attributed to his place in the birth order. He has negotiated between management and employees, has a knack for advertising and sales, and prefers to work at his own pace as his own boss (source: Samantha Murphy).
Current studies on birth order poo-poo the idea that birth order affects personality in a statistically significant way. They liken it to the science behind astrology. Hey, Oldest Brother, Middle Brother. Did you read our horoscope today? It says “Heed the wisdom of a younger sibling.”
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| 1998 |
Sources:
Birth Order and Spacing - Effects Of Birth Order Discovered, Birth Order Characteristics, The Importance Of Spacing, Criticisms, Birth Order Today
http://social.jrank.org/pages/97/Birth-Order-Spacing.html
Murphy, Samantha, “The Effects of Birth Order on Personality.”
http://www.birthorderandpersonality.com/id15.html
Megan:
I’m not sure when I first heard that there might be a link between birth order and personality, but if you Google it, you’ll find thousands of articles, websites and books on the topic.
The top result (which means it is the site most often clicked on and linked to) is http://www.birthorderandpersonality.com. According to this site, first born children are either compliant or aggressive. Based on the traits listed, I have a compliant personality as I am reliable, conscientious and crave approval. I also like having things my way though, and that is an aggressive trait. (But, who out there doesn’t want things their way? Who goes through life and thinks I will only find fulfillment if I am thwarted at every turn?) It also says that I should pick law or medicine as a career, because I am uncomfortable with creative projects.
This same site describes my brother, as a last born, as a risk taker, idealist, good sense of humor, hard working, immature, attention seeking, secretive and sensitive. Some of those attributes are undoubtedly true, but some of them apply to me as well. My brother has been having a difficult time finding a job too, so I know he will be pleased to learn that he is best suited for a job in corporate sales.
The top result (which means it is the site most often clicked on and linked to) is http://www.birthorderandpersonality.com. According to this site, first born children are either compliant or aggressive. Based on the traits listed, I have a compliant personality as I am reliable, conscientious and crave approval. I also like having things my way though, and that is an aggressive trait. (But, who out there doesn’t want things their way? Who goes through life and thinks I will only find fulfillment if I am thwarted at every turn?) It also says that I should pick law or medicine as a career, because I am uncomfortable with creative projects.
This same site describes my brother, as a last born, as a risk taker, idealist, good sense of humor, hard working, immature, attention seeking, secretive and sensitive. Some of those attributes are undoubtedly true, but some of them apply to me as well. My brother has been having a difficult time finding a job too, so I know he will be pleased to learn that he is best suited for a job in corporate sales.
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| 2006 |
But maybe this website isn’t the best resource, despite being the highest ranked on the search results. My highly-skilled librarian eye picked up several indicators, including misspelled words, broken links and a total lack of scientific references, all of which suggest that the site is unreliable. So, let’s move on to another.
The second result is an article from Scientific American, which maintains that for the most part, scientific data does not support general assumptions about likelihood of becoming an astronaut (first borns) or engaging is risky behavior (latter borns). I think being an astronaut is kind of a risky job, so don’t those two cancel out?
Anyway, the article, which was published in January 2010, says that several recent studies have shown a correlation between birth order and IQ, and personality but that other factors also contribute, including the size of the family, and education and financial stability of the parents. A 2007 Norwegian study concluded that in larger families, the younger children have lower IQ’s. But why is that? Is it because the parents have less time to divide among their children? Less time to devote to the development of the younger children?
The article also references a study (conducted by the author) which concludes that “birth order influences whom we choose as friends and spouses. Firstborns are more likely to associate with firstborns… etc.” Based on my experience, this doesn’t ring true, but of course my experience is limited. In my family, my father is a first-born and my mother is a last-born, both from families of 3 children. My mother’s two older brothers both married only children. I have seven cousins and I do not know the birth orders of all their spouses and partners, but some of them married only children, some of them married younger children. As far as I know, not one of them partnered within their own birth-order rank.
And as far as I can tell, birth order has had little affect on who my friends are. Growing up in a small town, going to a tiny school, there wasn’t a lot of choice. But of my 5 closest friends from Prescott, 2 are first-borns, 2 are middle-borns and 1 is an only child. In college, where I may have had more choice, my closest friends are 2 first-borns, 1 last-born, and 1 of a pair of twins. What conclusions can we draw from that? Nothing.
What does all this have to do with the topic? Nothing really. I don’t know what it’s like to be the youngest child and I got distracted by an errant thought. So there you go, birth order may or may not affect your personality, your IQ, your career, your friendships and your spouse. It may or may not depend on the birth order of your parents, or how wealthy your parents were. Birth order may or may not positively or negatively affect your entire life. Let’s not worry about it anymore.
Sources:
The Effects of Birth Order on Personality http://www.birthorderandpersonality.com/index.html
The second result is an article from Scientific American, which maintains that for the most part, scientific data does not support general assumptions about likelihood of becoming an astronaut (first borns) or engaging is risky behavior (latter borns). I think being an astronaut is kind of a risky job, so don’t those two cancel out?
Anyway, the article, which was published in January 2010, says that several recent studies have shown a correlation between birth order and IQ, and personality but that other factors also contribute, including the size of the family, and education and financial stability of the parents. A 2007 Norwegian study concluded that in larger families, the younger children have lower IQ’s. But why is that? Is it because the parents have less time to divide among their children? Less time to devote to the development of the younger children?
The article also references a study (conducted by the author) which concludes that “birth order influences whom we choose as friends and spouses. Firstborns are more likely to associate with firstborns… etc.” Based on my experience, this doesn’t ring true, but of course my experience is limited. In my family, my father is a first-born and my mother is a last-born, both from families of 3 children. My mother’s two older brothers both married only children. I have seven cousins and I do not know the birth orders of all their spouses and partners, but some of them married only children, some of them married younger children. As far as I know, not one of them partnered within their own birth-order rank.
And as far as I can tell, birth order has had little affect on who my friends are. Growing up in a small town, going to a tiny school, there wasn’t a lot of choice. But of my 5 closest friends from Prescott, 2 are first-borns, 2 are middle-borns and 1 is an only child. In college, where I may have had more choice, my closest friends are 2 first-borns, 1 last-born, and 1 of a pair of twins. What conclusions can we draw from that? Nothing.
What does all this have to do with the topic? Nothing really. I don’t know what it’s like to be the youngest child and I got distracted by an errant thought. So there you go, birth order may or may not affect your personality, your IQ, your career, your friendships and your spouse. It may or may not depend on the birth order of your parents, or how wealthy your parents were. Birth order may or may not positively or negatively affect your entire life. Let’s not worry about it anymore.
Sources:
The Effects of Birth Order on Personality http://www.birthorderandpersonality.com/index.html
Scientific American. How Birth Order Affects Your Personality
By Joshua K. Hartshorne | January 11, 2010 http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=ruled-by-birth-order
By Joshua K. Hartshorne | January 11, 2010 http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=ruled-by-birth-order
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