{"id":372,"date":"2008-09-12T15:01:00","date_gmt":"2008-09-12T15:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.buildingcathedrals.com\/2008\/09\/12\/birth-order-fact-or-fiction\/"},"modified":"2008-09-12T15:01:00","modified_gmt":"2008-09-12T15:01:00","slug":"birth-order-fact-or-fiction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/buildingcathedrals\/2008\/09\/birth-order-fact-or-fiction\/","title":{"rendered":"Birth Order: Fact or Fiction?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

If you\u2019re anything like me you puzzle all day long trying to figure out your children. \u00a0These living, breathing, crying, whining, smiling, melting, wonderful, precious little creatures have been placed in our care and we aim to do the best job we can as their parents. \u00a0So why not a little bit of science and theory to help make it easier? \u00a0Why not pigeonhole them into stereotypes to ease our jobs and make sense of it all? \u00a0Alas, you all know as I do that this is impossible and that categorizing our variable children is the last thing we want (or can) do as parents.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
Still, wouldn\u2019t it be nice and helpful? \u00a0\u201cNo, Johnny\u2019s not bossy, he\u2019s just the oldest and a natural born leader.\u201d \u00a0\u201cSusie\u2019s feeling sad today because she\u2019s a middle child and has identity issues.\u201d \u00a0lol \ud83d\ude42<\/a><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
This article<\/a>\u00a0outlined a lot of the theory behind birth order and the science of predicting general characteristics of children within a family. \u00a0Here are a few summarizing tidbits from the article:<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Firstborns:<\/div>\n

-natural leaders, problem solvers, strong organizational and reasoning skills\u00a0<\/p>\n

-twenty-one of the first twenty-three American astronauts were firstborns<\/div>\n
-well represented among Rhodes scholars and university professors
-better at relating to adults than to other kids<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

Middle children:
\u2013 great negotiators and peacemakers, \u00a0laid-back attitudes and a love of socializing<\/p>\n

\u2013 natural schmoozers and consensus builders\u00a0<\/div>\n
\u2013 most likely to move far from home once they grow up
\u2013 prone to rebelliousness and competitiveness<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

Lastborn:
\u2013 least likely to be disciplined<\/p>\n

\u2013 become adept at wrapping people around their little fingers and clowning to get attention.
\u2013 may suffer from other\u2019s assumptions that they are spoiled, stubborn, and manipulative.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Does your family fit the bill? \u00a0After reading through these descriptions, some are uncannily right on, while others leave me wondering. \u00a0I guess there\u2019s my proof that NO tool can accurately pin my wonderfully maddening, varied, and beloved children. \u00a0And I guess that\u2019s a good thing\u2013as my mother-in-law beautifully reminds me, let each be his own and try not to label!<\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re anything like me you puzzle all day long trying to figure out your children. \u00a0These living, breathing, crying, whining, smiling, melting, wonderful, precious little creatures have been placed in our care and we aim to do the best job we can as their parents. \u00a0So why not a little bit of science and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":730,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-372","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-children"],"yoast_head":"\nBirth Order: Fact or Fiction?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"If you're anything like me you puzzle all day long trying to figure out your children. \u00a0These living, breathing, crying, whining, smiling, melting,\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, 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