The Oldest Child

I've been reading a birth order book the past few weeks. Hope has gotten more attitude-y, sullen, disobedient in sneaky ways, and I figured understanding the drawbacks and precautions for firstborns would be a good step in changing those behaviours.

I've always assumed I was a displaced firstborn, because I don't have the achiever syndrome characteristic of a firstborn, and Mandy does. So I figured she became the "firstborn" and I shifted more to a middle-born personality.

I figured wrong. No, I don't have the overachieving aspect, but I have the list-making, perfectionist, my-house-is-never-tidy-enough, compulsively organized aspects of a controlling, powerful firstborn. "The powerful firstborn needs to be in control. You hear statements from him like 'You will do what I say' and 'I guess I have to do it myself if I want it done right'. They're perfectionsistic and they expect everyone around them to toe the line exactly the way they want it toed....These firstborns don't have to be aggressive to be powerful; they can also be shy and moody...". Hmm- that sounds alot like someone I know.

So, I'm a firstborn. And I can tell Hope definitely is too. David, though, is more a middleborn, I think. Amy is close enough in age that I think she took over the oldest role. David may even be a baby, and Sara became the oldest of Linda and Jerry's family. Actually, I'm quite sure that's what happened. Amy is oldest, David is baby, Sara is oldest of the second-time-around family. If anyone thinks she isn't a perfectionist, then they haven't met her/seen her/heard anything about her. David not being a functional firstborn means we may not kill each other:)

So now to figure out about the other three munchkins. Joel should be a firstborn, being the oldest boy. I'm quite sure Daniel will be a baby- easygoing, funny, low maintenance. Naomi is going to be a typical middle child, I think. Which means I need to lighten up on Hope and spend more time with Naomi. I'll wait until I figure out if I'm going to murder Joel before I worry about the boys' birth order stuff.