Saturday, January 20, 2007

I'm a FIRST-born

Do you find any truth in birth order affecting your personality? I seem like the description of a first-born: mostly compliant, rule follower, low risk taker, perfectionistic. Dear hubby is a first-born also. I recently attended a scrapbooking workshop with my sister-in-law. She is the youngest. I should've known I was in for an evening of antics when after the instructor demonstrates the first item & we begin assembling our own, she whispers in my ear, "You know, you don't have to make yours EXACTLY like the instructor did?" {Typical youngest-type thing to say.} WHAT? She might as well have tried to get me to run a red light on purpose. I laughed out loud. I told her she was a rebel. After awhile though, I starting "breaking the rules" as well. Placing things not exactly like the example, adding a little glitter here, a little doodle there. And it was very....freeing. After being a captive audience of our bantering for two plus hours, the mother/daughter team at our table said they would want to sit across from us at every scrapbooking workshop. Naturally I replied, "Of course that would cost extra."

Fast forward to today. I had to take 2 year old to the ER. She had a fever and has been vomiting since yesterday morning. {My sincerest apologies to the guests at the Wilderness who witnessed my daughter puke in the hot tub.} She gets her vitals taken, she eats a popsicle, the doctor comes and talks to us & says we can go. So, we pack up daughter and our things and head to the car. As I'm getting in, I asked hubby if we should've gotten some paperwork. DUH. This wasn't my first or even fifth trip to the hospital. I go back inside and ask for the paperwork. I wait. I wait for 10 minutes. I ask again. Our nurse comes out to say that she was busy but needed to take 2 year old's vitals again. She really needs to have that done before they can discharge her. She will have another not-so-busy-nurse do it. Ok. I retrieve 2 year old from the car. I come back in. I wait. I wait. After 35 minutes of waiting {with a semi-sick toddler I remind you}, I ask if I can just leave without the paperwork. I tell the receptionist that the ER seems really busy, my daughter is not critical & can I just leave without the AWOL paperwork/nurse-needed-for-vitals. She makes a call and {apparently annoyed} is discussing my behaviour with the person on the other end. Right in front of me. I finally ask what they are going to do if I just leave. What is going to happen to me? She says, "WELL...we can't keep you here." Ok. So I leave. Not a typical first-born-compliant-non-rule-breaker move. And again, I felt....free.

Does your birth order match what a typical birth order personality would be? Seems like mine does.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hmmm...that's a good one. I am a first born and well I don't really think that I am compliant. Then again I don't really think that I am a rule-breaker either. Although I like the idea! I have never gotten a speeding ticket, or ditched school. So maybe I was/am compliant. I think that another thing that I posess is a uncanny ability to mold my mood to the circumstance. I will always be the leader or co-leader in any situation. If someone needs to take charge...it will usually be me who steps up. Even to a fault when I run myself ragged. I also think that when you are the oldest you are more naturally driven to parent. Sean is also a first born, but he doesn't posess the need to be the leader quality that I do. He is quite happy letting me lead which works out well for us. But then again...sometimes I want him to pick the restaurant for example.

Well now I am rambling..

TTYL

Erin

Anonymous said...

I am the baby of the family however, I am extremely compliant and hate to break rules well like real rules, I do like to do things my own way but for the most part am pretty easy going, so I do not know if it fits my "birth order" I used to know that stuff pretty well not so much anymore however, looking at my babies, Abbey is definetely the oldest mentality and Andrew is definetely the middle. Scott is oldest and he likes to lead and I like to be led so yeah I guess I do. Enough of my rambling Scott may need to use the phone to cancel L&F tonight.

Anonymous said...

Well I must say as far as mine and my families birth order it is probably some what different just because of the age distance. As I looked over the article I have to say that although I am conservative, I am much more of a 2nd born than a first. I'm not sure where my sister(2) would fit in but she is def. not a 2nd born for what the article says. However my youngest sister I think is more like a 1st born! As for dh he is 3rd in his family but I would say he acts like an only child. Funny how none of our family matches. Even in our kids. DS(1) is definetly a first born, DD(2) is more like an only child too!(like her father!!) DS(3) is definetly a youngest (which goes with the if your 3rd you can be any of them) DD(4) is more like DS(1) was at her age only more girly (of course)!! Maybe we're just all real strange?!? Probably ;0) But to Jori or anyone who has a similar situation as being further apart in ages of siblings, this may be something to think about since you are third and the youngest but were really probably treated like an only because of the distance! Who knows!! It was fun to read and find out who all of us were like though!! I've loved your questions lately, and I'm sorry to hear about the DD, that must have been rough!

Rebecca said...

So interesting to see who's personality matches their birth order & who's doesn't! I remember reading somewhere that if there is like more than 5 years between siblings {Jori I think you're more than 5 years apart from your sister?} that you end up being more like a first born {or maybe even only child}. When Tatiana would go down this particular waterslide at the Wilderness there was a lifeguard waiting at the bottom directing the kids which side to get out of the slide on. Tatiana had this almost scared look on her face & would try to hurry up and follow the lifeguard's directions, whereas other kids were totally oblivious to the fact that they were being given directions. I was thinking at the time, "You are so first-born girl!" Makes me laugh even now just thinking about it...

Alicia: I wonder if kids start acting like their birth order personality right away or if it develops more as they get older? Maybe your DD2 is more like an only because she was the first girl? It's hard to tell from this particular article if Sienna's personality matches a second-born/youngest. Is there any personality that is called high-maintenance & passionately emotional in every direction? LOL!

And did you know: Every American astronaut to venture into space and more than half of all American presidents and Australian prime ministers have been firstborn children. {Taken from another interesting article with parenting tips found here:http://www.askted.com.au/askted/display
Content?content=You_must_be_the_eldest!.
xml&path=/WebSite/AskTedArticles/FamilyLife/.}

Coincidence?

Anonymous said...

After thinking about this while at work I would have to say that although I am a leader, take charge kinda person and also a perfectionist, my sister is more like the first born and I seem to fit second (or maybe we are a little mixed up because we are so close in age). My fam is full of perfectionist, which both my sister and I are. My sister on the other hand is the compliant, don't break any rules type. From the time I was little, I have done my own thing and if I don't like a rule I don't follow it...compliant does not describe me at all. Dan though fits baby of the family to a tee...ha ha! Funny how we work so well together though. My kids so far are following birth order. Kaitlyn is rule follower, compliant, perfectionist and Landon, well, lets just say he is none of thee above. Facinating!

Anonymous said...

After beths comment about maybe their personalties were switched because of how close her and her sisters ages where I think I could see that with me and my DS. Although she is more of a quiet leader than upfront everything else about a first born is her to a tee, Maybe we are switched too for the same reason of being closer in age!! Very Very Interesting!!