Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Birth Order

The plight of the older sibling - Kids and parenting- msnbc.com
This new research has been all over the MSNBC front page and the Today show. Basically it is the age old debate over birth order, which has long been talked about and the subject of many books. I find it all very interesting, but not necessarily true. Does the oldest take all the heat? Is the oldest always the smartest, more responsible, and eventually most successful (as this study finds?) Is the baby always the dare-devil that gets the left-over discipline from tired parents? Is it really the stereo-typical "Wally and the Beave?"

I don't know, I'm an only child. I don't have much first hand experience. Sometimes Ryan seems to be the riskier of our two boys and Will is the calmer and more cautious one. What are your experiences with your siblings and/or children? Any truth out there to the birth order theories?

3 comments:

Holly Aytes said...

well taylor is most definitely a "first child". she exhibts all those qualities. the other 2 are the risk takers. i wouldn't say however that they don't get as much discipline. they probably get more since they are in trouble more than taylor ever was :) i have mixed feelings about birth order, some is dead on and other stuff is "off" I think.

Cindy said...

You know, it's all theory. It's going to hold true for some, and not for others. That being said, I am a firstborn, and have been the more grounded, responsible, of the two of us. My younger sister is equally as smart and probably smarter than I am. She is definitely more of a risk-taker.

Will tends to be much more cautious than Sam. Of course it's still hard to tell with them being so young.

I used to wonder how two (or more) kids growing up in the same household could be so different. But when you think about it, while they do have many shared experiences, they experience them in different ways. Much like a kid in a stroller and an older child who walks would have very different experiences on an outing to the park. Does that make any sense? I'm rambling...

Ginger said...

Yes, Cindy. Makes complete sense. It will be interesting to see what they are like in about 20 years.....but I wish I could just stop time now. I love their ages and personalities right now.