What is your position in the birth order of your siblings?

[Miss Marple]

I'm curious about how birth order affects our decisions - in this case about homeschooling. I'm the youngest of 3 girls. My oldest sibling is 5 years older than I am.

 

And I'm the mom of 4 boys (my mom was sure they wouldn't survive toddlerhood!)

 

Please indicate your birth order as well as any other 'extraordinary' features of your family (i.e., more than 4 siblings, all siblings the same gender, etc.)

 

Thanks - I hope this comes out right because it's my first poll!

[Jackie in AR]

I'm the oldest of 4 dc in my family. There is 40 months age difference between me and the youngest, who are twins. Our sister squeezed in between us at 20 months apart from each end. Three girls, one boy.

[Dayle in Guatemala]

I have 2 younger brothers, neither of which homeschool their kids. I think they think I'm a little nuts! :D

[Just Me]

I am the oldest, but my sister is 5 years younger. I have heard that being 5 or more years apart makes you more like two only children, which may be true for us. We are not very close. I often feel like an only child.

 

ETA - My sister does not homeschool.

[Jami]

2nd of 3. So I'm "the middle child". But I have a lot of 1st born personality traits, I don't know if that's because there are only 17 months between my older sister and me or because both our parents are firstborns so all three of us have some of those characteristics.

 

Oh and my sister homeschools too. But I was first to know I wanted to. ;)

 

My younger brother is married to a former homeschooler (if that interests you). I don't know if they'll homeschool, my sil doesn't seem to eager too. I think they'd prefer using a Christian school if they can afford it when the time comes.

[Amy loves Bud]

I'm the youngest of 7:

 

65

63

56

54

52

50

41 (me).

[Guest Katia]

I'm the youngest (have 1 older sister) and she thinks I am nuts-o for homeschooling! It's something she would never, ever do.

 

However, her dil (youngest, late-in-life dc) is currently homeschooling sister's grandchildren for pre-school this year. LOL I thought that was really funny.

[M&M]

My sister is four years younger and is single with no children.

[Deece in MN]

I'm the middle child. My sister is 14 months older than I am and my brother is 4 years younger. Neither one homeschools as my sister is having her 1st child in a couple months and my brother is not married yet and has no children. I have always been considered the "odd" one in my family (immediate and extended).

[HSMom2One]

I'm the youngest of three. I'm the only one to homeschool and also the only one to graduate from college. Don't know why, but I'm a bit of an over achiever. My big sister (middle child) says I do everything in my life just to seek attention LOL, but I honestly don't care what others think about the personal choices I've made. Our older brother is 100% supportive and encouraging and I try to be the same to him.

 

Blessings,

Lucinda

[Tutor]

I'm the oldest of two, both girls. My dh is the youngest (by 11 years) of three, all boys. We have four, oldest two girls, youngest two boys. :D

[Jean in Newcastle]

I'm the youngest of 5 - but I'm 5 years younger than my closest sibling plus my older brothers and sisters were all at boarding school until I was in 5 grade, so I was basically raised as an only child. The eldest of my brothers (11 years older than me) and I homeschool our kids (only he's finished now.)

[sdWTMer]

Oops. I put 4th, well I am 4th, but I'm also the last. I got confused.

 

I have 2 older brothers and 1 older sister (2 boys, 2 girls).

[TravelingChris]

I was the second of three. I am the only one of us who has children. My younger sister died at 34 from her second heart attack. My brother who is now 51 has never married and has no children.

 

I have three children.

[Andie]

I voted oldest, but I am in a sense also an "only" child.

 

My sister and brother were born 10 months apart, nearly 10 years after me. I moved out of their household after just a few years, so most of my memories are of being an only.

[mommylaw]

I'm the fourth generation to have three boys and two girls.

 

Great-grandma- 3 boys 2 girls

My Nana- 3 boys 2 girls

Mom- 3 boys 2 girls

Me- 3 boys 2 girls

 

My mother, a retired public school teacher, homeschooled my youngest two brothers, my sister, and now my son.

 

ETA: I am the eldest. My parents are both the 2nd born.

[mommylawyer]

I'm an only child, but always wanted siblings. Maybe that's why I want a big family of my own...

[MicheleB]

I am a twin and we (my brother and I) are the oldest. Our sister is 14 months younger than we are (no wonder my mother didn't have any more after us! :D)

 

Even though I am a twin, I was techinically the "oldest" by 8 minutes and treated as such (bizarre, huh?). So I did grow up with a birth order feeling of being the eldest.

 

My sister has a 3 yo and plans to homeschool. My brother has twin dds and a son and is a public school teacher. He does not homeschool and is totally against it.

[Sasharowan]

I am the oldest of 2 and my sis has no kids yet. Dh is the tenth of 12 and is the only one that homeschools full time. 1 sil homeschooled 2 of her boys when they were in trouble in school, but they basically dropped out anyway.

[Guest Virginia Dawn]

Wow, look how many 1sts!

[Plaid Dad]

I'm the younger of two children, and there is a 13-year gap between me and my brother (due to fertility issues). My mom used to say that she had two only children. :)

[Sophia]

have 3 younger brothers.

My first brother is 11 months younger than me and everyone treats him like he's the oldest.

 

It's very annoying.:toetap05:

[fivetails]

I'm the oldest (31) ...I'm 2 1/2 years older than my brother and 8 years older than my sister. My brother has a baby, but I doubt they'd ever consider homeschooling...my sister doesn't have any kids yet, but I doubt it there too. Nobody that I know of anywhere in my family, immediate or extended does...I've always kinda been the odd duck. ;)

[Vicki]

I am the oldest of 4, 3 girls and 1 boy. We have all homeschooled. My younger brother is no longer homeschooling. His kids go to a Christian school that his wife teaches at. If they move back here they will be homeschooling again. I homeschooled my youngest sister's only child on and off until he graduated from my homeschool. I have 5 children and have homeschooled since 1986. 3 of my kids have graduated.

God bless,

Vicki

[elegantlion]

I am the youngest. My sister is 2.5 years older than me. If you ask her, she's a lot smarter too. We don't communicate often, or get along well.

[tadbhoward]

I am the first born of 3. My brothers are 7 and 10 years younger than me. I have 3 girls so far.

 

ETA: my brothers are 22 and 26 and think I am nuts for home schooling.

[kribby]

I have 4 brothers and sisters older then me and 6 younger then me.

[WTMCassandra]

I'm an only. Wow, lots of firstborns on this board!

[Baseballmom]

I am the oldest, but I only have one sister and I am seven years older then her. We are not very close, she is single and just completely different then me.

Dorothy

[Rose in BC]

But I have many first born tendencies likely because there's an eight year gap between me and my next sibling.

[Rose in BC]

17 years between my youngest sister and my oldest brother.

[Alenee]

I'm the oldest of 4 girls and I have 3 girls. We'll see what happens when they start having babies!:) I find it interesting that the majority in the poll at this point are "eldest".

[LauraGB]

I am the oldest. I have one sister 18 months (exactly) younger than me. I have all the classic 1st born symptoms.

Dh is the youngest of 3 boys.

'Nuff said. :blush:

[TN Mama]

I am the oldest of two girls. My sister is 3 years younger. However, when I was 10 my mom remarried and her husband had 2 sons, both older, one 6 years and the other 3. So while by birth I am definitely an oldest child, there are some middle child things going on, too. My sister is the baby. For sure! :)

 

My sister doesn't homeschool, but has considered it. Her children will be 4 and 2 in September.

[michaeljenn]

I am the 2nd born.. But I am amazed at the number of 1st borns! wow

[crazycoffeechic]

Third.

I have two older brothers.

[Brigitte]

I'm the baby of the family. Can you tell? :D

 

I have to say, I am shocked by how many are the 1st. Is there an obvious reason for that that I am not seeing?

[T Baer]

:001_smile:

[Angela in TN]

I marked oldest on the poll because growing up it was me and my younger brother. I found out as an adult that my father had another daughter before he married my mom, so "technically" I'm a middle which makes way more sense to me!

[kailuamom]

I am the first of two kids. As a child I always "planned" (as young girls tend to do lol) to do the same...one girl then one boy. But, I doubled it...two girls, then two boys. :D

 

It is interesting that some many of us seem to be 1st borns. (I am too tired -- baby up a lot last night! -- to delve into just why it is interesting, but it will make good food for thought later! :tongue_smilie:)

[Sue G in PA]

I'm the oldest of 2. My brother is 4.5 yrs. younger than me. I have 3 half-siblings who are much older than I am. They are my dad's kids from his previous marriage before his marriage to my mother. My half-siblings are all old enough to be my mother/father. I always displayed first-born characteristics...still do. It's tough, b/c my dh is the middle child of 3 and he displays typical middle child characteristics. Makes it very difficult sometimes for me to be that submissive wife and him to be the leader of the home when all my "instincts" are to take over!

[Amy in Orlando]

WOW - there are a lot of 1st borns here! I'm the oldest of three myself.

[Niffercoo]

I'm an only child, and my dh is the 'baby' of his family.

 

You can imagine that our early married days were just, um, interesting! LOL

[Dawn in Ohio]

I am third. I have two older brothers. I have some first born tendencies. Growing up I bossed them around a lot. I was (and still am) the perfectionist in the family.

 

I'm surprised to see so many first borns.

[*anj*]

I am the oldest of two children, married the oldest of three.

So we both desperately want to be in charge.... :glare:

[senunk]

I have three younger brothers. I have a half-sister who is 12 years younger than I am, and she doesn't really keep in contact with the rest of us. I have some step-brothers (all younger), but they haven't kept in contact since we've all grown up.

[Crissy]

I am the third of four. I am the middle child if you count only the girls.

I've been told I am the typical middle child, whatever that means.

 

I married the oldest of six boys.

Boy, oh boy! Do we ever have different personalities!

[newbie]

First of four, my sis and I were first set, than mom had second set seventeen yrs. ltr.

 

Jet

[GraceinMD]

I'm the middle child, only girl. My younger brother is 11 yrs younger than I, and profoundly retarded. My older brother is a lawyer; he and my dsil homeschool. (I thought my sil was CRAZY for even thinking of it, but that was long before we had our ds :)!)

[Melissa in Australia]

im the oldest of 8. I am 34, the youngest are twins and are 22, all the rest are inbetween. there are 5 boys and 3 girls. only 1 sister and I have children. I am the only one that homeschools. the rest are still single.