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

[jail warden]

I am the youngest in my family of 3 children, however there is a 6 year gap between me and my sister(brother 2 years older), so it also makes me an only child according to birth order studies.

[Mom2GirlsTX]

I'm the youngest of six.

[dirty ethel rackham]

5th out of 6th. The first 4 were very close in age then 6 years before I was born and 4 before my younger sister.

[newlifemom]

I'm part of the youngest set of twins. (I was born 1st) There are a total of 5 in my family and currently I am the only one home schooling. My oldest sister, whose ne'er do well twin sons respects my position and says nothing b/c she has, well, ne'er do well twin sons. My next eldest sister resents that I take valuable money away from the school district by home schooling and only grudgingly respects it b/c she thinks I would have been a great teacher ( I was born for it). Can you tell she belongs to the NEA? ;) My brother did homeschool his kids but this year they are going to a private school while my sil becomes a nurse.

 

Even so they all think I'm crazy and I guess I am so used to it (they always thought that) that I have stopped caring. :tongue_smilie:

 

Maybe I am. . .hmmm.

[Jenny in Atl]

Why am I not surprised that most of us are first born. :lol:

[sleepy]

I'm the oldest of two. My sister is 5 yrs younger than me.

[Mom to Aly]

I am the youngest of two sets of fraternal twins--2 sisters, 13 months older than my brother and I (my mother is a saint). My sisters are both married with no kids, neither are going to have any, partly due to different med challenges, partly due to being too selfish to want them (older sister and husband too selfish, second oldest, it is her husband, who is horrible!!! and should not breed, truly). My twin brother is not married and does not have children.

 

Even though I am the youngest, I have always been assumed to be the oldest, since we were in high school, or just before. I skipped a couple of grades, started college when I was 15. I was always extremely social, outgoing, outspoken, while my siblings were all extremely shy. We all have college or higher degrees, although I have gone the farthest with that, and I am the only one who has been divorced basically in my whole family, ever : P

[JennifersLost]

I"m the youngest of four, but look at all those "oldests" on the poll - you all were born to be bossy, weren't you!

 

I'm just a control freak. That's why I homeschool.

[Mom2boys]

I am the oldest of two girls. My sister has no children and doesn't plan to have any. My family now grudgingly admits that homeschooling does seem to work well for my kids (it only took six years for them to come around!) but they think most other homeschoolers are ruining their children. sigh...

[Robymomof3]

I am the oldest. My brother is almost 3 years younger.

[Jill- OK]

Chalk it up to 21st century, fractured family oddity....

 

I'm the only child of my two biological parents. (They divorced when I was about four or so).

 

I was the only child in my house until my stepfather regained visitation with his daughter, who is younger than me by five years...but he also has two sons from another marriage that we saw intermittently.

 

My little brother (a half-sibling) was born when I was eleven, and we lived together in the same house for a year...then I went to live first with my father and stepmother (and younger stepbrother), and then with my grandparents (where I was the only child in the house, but my little brother lived just around the corner, and we essentially 'grew up together', if you count frequent contact and biological connection as 'growing up together').

 

So, you guys tell me, lol...what's my birth order?!?

 

(In all seriousness, I consider myself an only child or oldest sibling, and when someone asks me how many siblings I have, I automatically think to myself "one little brother", before I start to mentally calculate step and half siblings, and tabulate how long I spent in the company of each one. I also have a half sister--we share a dad--that I didn't see for, gosh...fifteen years? And then have only seen a few times, since.)

 

ETA: My little brother was homeschooled for high school. Not sure how that relates, lol...but I know the poll asked about family and homeschooling decisions. I don't know that he would homeschool his own kids, but I think it was a relatively positive thing for him.

[Tap]

I am the baby of 9 but am 6 years younger than the youngest of my sibs. Because of this, I am the baby of the family but was raised as an only child for my teen years(12-18) , and only one or two other sibs from the time I was 8.

 

The biggest benefit to my position was seeing the mistakes my siblings made in raising their kids. I am much more proactive with my kids with discipline. My sibs are very, very lenient with their kids ( I am raising the daughter of one of nieces right now because of her upbringing).

 

The biggest detriment was that it took until I was over 30 for anyone to take me seriously. My family thought of me as the 'baby' for.ev.er! I am one of the most stable in my family so it was ironic how they treated me.

 

The biggest bonus (and saddest part) to being the last after so many kids was that my parents weren't really phased by much anymore. They were soooo lenient with me and almost seemed to forget I was around.

 

I don't really fit into any particular birth order prediction, because I am both the baby for 1/2 of my life and the oldest for 1/2.

 

 

Tap

[dangermom]

I'm the oldest of 5. There are 3 boys after me, then my baby sister comes waaaay later.

 

I'm amazed at how many of us are 1sts. Weird.

[Suzanne in ABQ]

I'm 3rd in our family, but I'm the first of the second "set". My older two brothers are much older than me. Then came me and my two younger brothers, all in two years. So, I'm and eldest. I'm also the only girl.

[Sparkle]

I'm the oldest of three girls. I'm 4 years old than the middle sister and 13 years older than the youngest. And, yes, we have the same parents.

 

My middle sister has one preschooler and I'm sure that will be her only child and she will NEVER homeschool. My youngest sister is unmarried and definitely does not want kids.

 

My dh is the 2nd of 6 kids.

[Chris in CA]

Wow,the results are interesting, I'm an oldest as well :001_smile:

[Ellie]

I was an only until I was 11.

 

Dh is also a first born. He's the second son, but there are five years between them, and Dr. Lehman says that with that many years' difference, the birth order starts all over.

 

My mother was a first born.

 

I have three younger brothers, two of whom count as first borns because of how many years between them. My mother said she spent all her life rearing first borns :-)

[Jennay]

I am the oldest of 5. Girl, Boy, Girl, Girl , Boy. There are 12 years between me and my youngest brother. My DH is also the oldest of 2 boys. Luckily we both have laid back Type A first born personalities. Sometimes

[Jennay]

I am the oldest of 5. Girl, Boy, Girl, Girl , Boy. There are 12 years between me and my youngest brother. My DH is also the oldest of 2 boys. Luckily we both have laid back Type A first born personalities. Sometimes I feel sorry for my 1st born DS - being raised by 2 firstborns. Oy. So far, I have DS5, DS4, DD 9 months.

[Targhee]

WOW! So many 1st children.... I don't think my older sister (first child) would ever consider homeschooling. I wonder if there is a correlation, or just a coincidence...

[nakitty]

I have 2 full sisters...of which I am the middle child....then 1 half sister that is the youngest of us. But I also have 2 step-sisters that are older than me...one by 6 years and one by less than 1 year....one of them is from my Moms second marriage the other from my Dads second marriage...LOL So, in all, there are 6 of us girls...no boys.

 

ETA...only 2 of my sisters have children...and neither of them HS

[bairnmama]

I have one sister, older by 3 yrs. She has 2 boys (10 & 5), but wouldn't think of homeschooling, partially because she was the main breadwinner for years while her dh stayed home with the kids and he would NEVER even attempt it, lol.

 

My dh, oldest of 3 boys, was homeschooled from 5th grade till he started college. His baby brother only went to ps starting in 8th grade in order to play baseball & qualify for scholarships.

[Miss Marple]

almost seemed to forget I was around.

 

That's funny...as the youngest, my parents couldn't seem to remember they had a 3rd. I was left so many times - gas stations, church, restaurants, etc. Kinda gave me a complex :-(

[beansprouts]

I am technically a first born, but my brother and I grew up in different homes. Because of this I wonder if I think and behave more like an only child.

[Leighton Academy]

I am the oldest of my three biological sibs. My mom had a child every two years so I am only 6 years older than my youngest brother. My dad remarried when I was 10 and voila...four more siblings! I ended up with 3 older brothers and 4 younger brothers. I definitely have a firstborn personality. I also think being the only girl out of 8 made a huge difference in my personality. My dh is the youngest of two. He is only 18 months younger than his sister.

 

There are no other homeschoolers in either of our families. No one in my family is surprised that I homeschool...I've always been a little "different", lol.

[Closeacademy]

Oldest of 2 siblings. My sister I have never met and she is 2 years younger. My brother is going into Junior High this year. So I was raised as an only.:001_smile:

[percytruffle]

I voted youngest, but I grew up more or less as an only child. I have three older step-siblings. My mom had a previous marriage and I am my dad's only kid. My older sisters and brother are quite a bit older than me (the youngest of them is 16 years older than I am) and were mostly out of the house by the time I remember them being there. I am quite close to the youngest of the three, but have very little relationship with the other two. The two oldest really had very little interest in me all along and never made any attempt to make me a part of their lives. They are more like cousins or something.

[Andie]

Chalk it up to 21st century, fractured family oddity....

 

I'm the only child of my two biological parents. (They divorced when I was about four or so).

 

I was the only child in my house until my stepfather regained visitation with his daughter, who is younger than me by five years...but he also has two sons from another marriage that we saw intermittently.

 

My little brother (a half-sibling) was born when I was eleven, and we lived together in the same house for a year...then I went to live first with my father and stepmother (and younger stepbrother), and then with my grandparents (where I was the only child in the house, but my little brother lived just around the corner, and we essentially 'grew up together', if you count frequent contact and biological connection as 'growing up together').

 

So, you guys tell me, lol...what's my birth order?!?

 

(In all seriousness, I consider myself an only child or oldest sibling, and when someone asks me how many siblings I have, I automatically think to myself "one little brother", before I start to mentally calculate step and half siblings, and tabulate how long I spent in the company of each one. I also have a half sister--we share a dad--that I didn't see for, gosh...fifteen years? And then have only seen a few times, since.)

 

ETA: My little brother was homeschooled for high school. Not sure how that relates, lol...but I know the poll asked about family and homeschooling decisions. I don't know that he would homeschool his own kids, but I think it was a relatively positive thing for him.

 

 

I think...maybe...your family/parent scenario might be odder than mine.

 

Congratulations?! :lol:

 

Actually, my having extra fathers worked out well since dh had none.

[JudoMom]

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!

 

I'm the baby (and the princess :D). I have one brother who is 22 months older than me. My brother is very passive and easygoing. I was always the competitive, perfectionist, sports-oriented one in the family.

 

My parents were told they couldn't have kids, but after 6-7 years of trying they had my brother. I was quite a surprise when I came only 22 months later :).

 

It looks like I'll forever be my Dad's princess--my brother has 2 boys and they are done, and I've got 5 boys and the van is full so we might be done. No granddaughters to dethrone me ;)!

[MyThreeSons]

I'm the middle of three. Less than three years from oldest to youngest.

 

My dh is oldest of seven. Over 27 years from oldest to youngest in his family.

[Lizzie in Ma]

I have a twin and a sister who is 4 years younger.

[Andie]

I'm the baby (and the princess :D). I have one brother who is 22 months older than me. My brother is very passive and easygoing. I was always the competitive, perfectionist, sports-oriented one in the family.

 

My parents were told they couldn't have kids, but after 6-7 years of trying they had my brother. I was quite a surprise when I came only 22 months later :).

 

It looks like I'll forever be my Dad's princess--my brother has 2 boys and they are done, and I've got 5 boys and the van is full so we might be done. No granddaughters to dethrone me ;)!

 

 

You scare me. Eleanor has serious Princess tendencies. I hope she uses her powers over Daddy for good. I'd hate to find out he handed our retirement $ over to her or something. She's just turned three and can talk most anyone into anything. Her latest explanation? "Because I'm Ella!" Oy. (I have no idea where she gets these delusions of royalty, of course.)

 

[Karenciavo]

I'm #3 of 7, but I have a 1st born personality.

[Tabrett]

I choose other. I was raised as an only child by my dad and Grandmother. I do have 2 younger brothers, but I only saw them two times while growing up.

 

So.... my vote should look like this

 

Only and First (of sibling that didn't have an effect on my upbringing).

[Christine]

I'm the 1st child (of 2, brother was second / last). (My brother has yet to marry & / or have kids.)

 

I'm the 1st grandchild on BOTH sides of my family.

 

All the 1st children on BOTH sides of my family were girls (except 1).

 

I'm the mother of 4 boys.

 

DH is the baby of his family, and there's a large enough gap between him and his closest sibling that he "follows" the birth order "qualities" of a 1st born. ('cept he was massively babied, and expects that from me now. . .crazy man!)

[ticklbee]

I am right smack in the middle - two older and two younger.

[goodgollycr]

I am the youngest of three. We all homeschool.

[percytruffle]

My dh is the youngest of 5. We are both the babies of our families.

[Mandy in TN]

I am the oldest child, but my brother is 13months younger than I am and quickly caught up in size (like by the time he was 1 and I was 2), so we were more like twins.

 

Then when I was in 2nd grade my mom started dating a man who had 4 kids. They married when I was in 4th grade. His oldest ds had graduated from high school and moved out. His second ds was a jr in high school and lived with us. His 3rd ds was 9months older than me and a grade ahead in school. His dd was 9months younger than me and in the same grade at school. We had the younger 2 every other weekend, half of every holiday, and half of the summer. They lived about 2miles away and, although we were zoned for different elementary schools, we all went to the same high school. Mom and step-dad divorced when I was a junior in high school.

 

Anyway, although I was my mother's first-born, I never felt like the oldest. I was part of a pack. ;)

 

ETA- I chose other.

 

Mandy

[Laurie in VA]

I am the oldest of two...and eight :confused: I was adopted at 4 wks. and grew up with a younger brother (also adopted, not genetically related). In my early 30s my biological mother found me and I became the oldest of 8 overnight! One sister on my biological mother's side, and 4 sisters and a brother on my biological father's side. My sister on my biological mother's side homeschooled for several years, and I know nothing about those on my biological father's side.

 

Whew! Did you get all of that??? :lol:

[Amie]

I'm the oldest of nine. My sister (#2) is five years younger than me, but we are very close.

[kat19]

I'm in the middle~3 girls~one older, one younger :001_smile: I don't mind it.

 

I have 3~2 boys, 1 girl. I am the only one in my family(even extended) that homeschools~so we are the weird ones :001_huh: :001_smile:

[Jugglin'5]

I'm the oldest of 2, my younger bother is 2.5 years younger. We both home school our kids, he has 4 and I have 5. My mother is in a perpetual state of confusion as to how she ended up a mother of 2 very conservative children, and the grandmother of 9! She won the "Most Grandchildren" award at her last high school reunion and was a bit embarrassed.:001_smile:

[Laura Corin]

I said 'third' but it's slightly more complicated than that. I'm the third and youngest in my original family, and the only girl. My father then remarried and I have sisters who are 16 and 17 years younger than I. They are more like cousins though - I didn't grow up with them, and have only really got to know them in recent years.

 

Laura

[Desert Rat]

I have one not-so-little brother. We are like night and day, the two of us.

I'm amazed that so many of us on this board are oldest kids. Says something, but I don't know what! :o)

[Miss Marple]

Both of my sisters also homeschooled their kids. My oldest sister put her kids in ps from about 6th grade on. She never enjoyed homeschooling. My 2nd sister homeschooled both of her kids all the way through.

[Aunty Social]

I'm the first born, and only one to homeschool (the rest of the fam thinks I'm a religious fruitcake:)).

 

The funny thing is, my Mom had 3 kids - girl, girl, boy

I have 3 kids - girl, girl, boy

My sister has 3 kids - girl, girl, boy

 

Kinda weird, huh?

[JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst]

I'm an only but dh is the oldest of his sibs.

[gandpsmommy]

I'm third out of four, but I'm a twin. So, I have one older sibling, one younger sibling, and one sibling who is the same age as I am.

[Kim in Appalachia]

do you think that's strange?

 

I'm a first born. But how does that relate to homeschooling?