First comes the confirmation...
I am the younger of two girls in my family and my sister is the typical first born in many ways. According to the research, first borns tend to be more reserved, more in control and always seem to have the bigger bedroom compared to their younger siblings (okay, the research doesn't specifically reference bedroom size, but it does discuss how first borns are often given more resources due to a sense of entitlement that comes with age). For example, when my sister and I were growing up, her bedroom was like the Taj Mahal compared to my shoebox, and when I hit my teenage years and started to value closet space, my mom would justify the space difference by claiming she gave me a choice, and I went with the smaller room. Considering that was only one year old when we moved and couldn't speak let alone choose a room for my future needs (I was all about sippy cups and Big Bird at the time and not really concerned about square footage), this decision was made solely on birth order.
So not only did my sister have the larger, first born-entitled, bedroom growing up (and the "I'm better than you" attitude that went with it), she had four years of complete only-child bliss before I bounded into the world, and according to the TIME article, even in the primitive animal sense, the eldest child is accustomed to getting 100% of their parents' resources, which leads to the expectation of constant attention and inability to accept the needs of others, specifically of their younger siblings. The perfect example, and my mom is going to kill me when she reads this, is when I was just a wee one and my sister and I would both need lunch. My mom was alone, and because I was child numero dos, her resources were quite stretched, so she would prop up a bottle between the rungs of my crib and then tend to my older, attention needing sister. As my sister enjoyed a PB&J with a side of my mom's love and attention, a baby Stephanie was stuck alone like a gerbil in her crib sucking on a bottle that could not be held by her mother because her older sister required the one-on-one time. When I heard this story from my mom, I asked her if she was kind enough to put a salt block in my crib since I had to be fed like a rodent. Obviously, my mom was doing the best she could and its really just a funny story that I tease her about, but in the end, true to birth order, I'm used to making due with what I have (even if that means being fed like a rodent), while my sister doesn't like change and wants things her way.
Another thing that jumped out at me in the TIME article was the reference to baby books. According to research "family scrapbooks are usually stuffed with pictures and report cards of the firstborn and successively fewer of the later-borns--and the later-borns notice it." When I read this, it was like TIME had spent a day in my shoes. My sister's baby books (PLURAL) are quite the collection of memories and my baby book (SINGULAR) is one page of pictures from the moment I popped out all gross and ugly followed by pages of... nothing. Thank God I have my memory and know that I too had a great youth like my sister who can refer to those memories in volumes of books dedicated to her, while I must fish for them in the cobwebs of my mind. No, I'm not bitter, but yes, this relates to scientific research that first borns walk into a life of pre-given attention, while those who follow need to create and earn that awareness, which results in the youngest children being more creative, funnier and more rebellious than their older siblings - why do you think this youngest child started a blog?!
Now comes the challenge...
Birth order research constantly support the success of first borns and the sometimes pitiful downfall of their younger siblings, specifically the youngest, due to the attention and privilege first borns receive. TIME's article references famous siblings including the Bush Brothers, the Royal Family and other families whose youngest child is the rebel and often falls into the shadows of their other siblings successes. As an adult, my sister is very successful, but when we were growing up, she was always being compared to me as I tended to be involved in more activities and was just overall more outgoing. In fact, I think my sister to this day resents me for being in the spotlight, which is very non-oldest child-like (I'm sure she's stabbing the voodoo doll of me as we speak).
Researchers also claim that younger siblings like to "court danger", but I'm queen of fearing physical peril. According to research, last born siblings like to play very physical sports and lean towards adventure and like to push the limits - bungee jumping, sky diving, rollercoaster riding, etc. For me, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride is my definition of a "thrill" ride, and non-stop shopping during the holiday season is what I consider an adventure. I played volleyball throughout my school days to avoid face-to-face confrontation and found athletic relief knowing that a net separated me and my competitors. So, danger is out of the picture for me even though I should technically welcome it.
Although I'm the typical last born when it comes to cracking jokes and excelling at creative tasks, I'm also level headed and according to research, my parents SHOULD turn to my sister to assume various responsibilities anywhere from "watching out" for me or taking care of the house when they are away, as "us" younger siblings would tear the place apart. Au Contraire! My sister, although reserved and mature in her own birth order right, is not as organized and "street smart" as me and contrary to research, my parents have always turned to me, the youngest, to put out any fires. Even in my social circle, I'm the level-headed "mom" of the group who thinks a few steps ahead to avoid any unpleasant situations. But according to research, I should be the one who my friends need to watch and coax down from dancing on table tops because, dammit, I'm the youngest and should be living only for the NOW, but alas, I personally live for the tomorrow and my 401K.
Conclusion...
Birth order research is important and valid; however, its not infallible. There are just so many variables outside birth order that impact our personalities beyond socioeconomic status and race (see article for further explanation), so although my days of being fed like a gerbil, and the outcome of it, are indicative of birth order, my tendency to follow the rules and my fear of chaos would hint that I was meant to be the oldest. So maybe I'm just a first born stuck in a last born body or better yet, maybe I'm a gerbil stuck in a human... you'd have to ask my mom about that :)
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