Monday, January 22, 2007

First Born Fun

Pinched from a Birth Order site:

The First Born has only younger siblings. Growing up, the First Born always knows more than his or her siblings do. As an adult the First Born subconsciously continues to look at others as if they were younger siblings. Often, the First Born is surprised that others know what they know, can do what they can do and have the insights they have.

This attitude limits what First Borns can learn from others. Their first reaction to being told something is to disagree. They know something that contradicts what they are being told so they must disagree as if the other person is a younger sibling who does not know what he or she is talking about.

On the other hand, First Borns have no older siblings to limit them. This allows them to be dreamers since they have no one to bring them back to reality.

By adopting the attitude that everyone knows something he doesn't know the First Born can be receptive to others' ideas. By realizing that he is now an adult among adults rather than the older brother he can deal with others as equals.



There is something rather exciting about Baby Chaud for me in that he will be a first born/only child. I have been a first born refugee in a sea of last born children. My Father is the last of five, my Mother the last of three. Nicole the youngest of her sisters, Scott the provincial younger sibling in my subconscious. Even most of my friends throughout my life have been last born. Only in my professional career of science have I run across a majority of First Borns. So Baby Chaud will be, as far as I can tell, the first First Born with whom I will be obliged to have an intimate relationship. I can only assume he will have an ultra-critical voice inside his head that he levels at everyone, but most harshly at himself. His standards will be nigh-unattainable, his justice severe: people get what they deserve. They say First Borns generally don't get along, I'm (typically) cautious of how to police that in his formative years. Still, I have much First Born optimism about his life. Afterall, they say it's the parent of the opposite sex that has the dominant influence on a child, so Nicole's compassion and certitude will help steady those first born thoughts, much like my Mom did for me.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hmmm. I'm the second born, but I usually disagree with something when first hearing it. It's not that I'm disagreeable, but I am critical. Even reading this snippet, the first thing I want to do is to poke holes in it and find flaws.

On the other hand, when I meet someone, I usually like and trust them unless I learn otherwise. Many others are suspectful of people when they meet them until they earn their trust.

I think my classes said the first-borns tend to be the higher achievers, but an only-child tends to be the highest of achievers (it bears mentioning that no US President was an only child...draw your own conclusions ;-))
-Bob

Lish said...

I read elsewhere in my Birth Order research that when a younger sibling is significantly bigger than the older sibling, there is a trend of reversal. Other things that can impact this is if there is significant time between births (greater than five years).

While no US President has been an only child, almost all of them are first born.

Anonymous said...

With the string of Presidents we have had, I wouldn't use them as examples of smart people.
Mom