When we were a threesome, as in this picture taken in 1951, there is no doubt as to our birth order. I've often wondered if we were purposefully plopped down on the ground in order of our age by our parents, or if I took over and put myself first and in front forcing brother to brace himself from toppling over baby sister.
I always liked being 'Numero Uno', and was shocked to find out that in the world of Psychology, I was considered an Experimental Model and a source of study into the psychological development of my personality based on being the first born.
Freud and Jung suggested that firstborns were marked for life in the habitual ways they deal with friendship, love and work. Some other fatherless guy said firstborn children felt 'dethroned' when a second child came along, and may be marred for life. I can honestly tell you that is 'Bunk'.
Because of my sweet baby brother, I had an unending source of 'Nipple Bottled Milk'...even though my Mom proudly announced to the world that her oldest was 'Bottle Broke' and a 'Big Girl' cup drinker. Dethroned!!! Hardly....BEFORE baby brother arrived, I was Princess of the Potty Chair and the proud owner of 'Big Girl Panties'. Mama assured me I would never be 'Dethroned' as brothers had to have some sort of extra gadget to catch their royal pee, and until then, he had to wear those scratchy, poopy stained, hand me down diaper thingys that hung out on the line for the whole world to see. Omg...so embarrassing!
I say Pooh on those PsychoGuys...'dethroned' my butt....It was good to be the First Princess!!!
It Still Is!!!
Linking To:
This is such a great picture! The baby actually looks the most traumatized :)
ReplyDeleteLeslie...The baby has had a full life of being traumatized. Bless her heart, she didn't get to be the baby of the family for long...she has suffered from what the PsycoGuys call 'The Middle Child Syndrome' after the birth of two more siblings.
ReplyDeleteBut how could we be the 1st and the oldest if there were no others? Dethroned? I think not :D
ReplyDeleteKristin...so true...Thank goodness for #2 and #3...how else could I be 'In Charge'. Of course, they do have their own Thrones and Crowns.
ReplyDeleteCute article! I sent the link, right away, to Dear Daughter! Hard as I tried to soften the blow, Dear Little Brother was quite a shock to her system! She jokes about it now! (0; Have a great weekend! ~tina
ReplyDeleteThanks Tina...so good to hear from you. Yes, we have to joke about those times that were somewhat of an adjustment....especially if they were longer than nine months to a year of being the One and Only. In my case it was only 14 months.
ReplyDeleteI do LOVE my brother...we were so close together, most folks thought we were twins. The older we get, the more I rely on him and the less I boss him around. LOL
You're right. That's bunk. I was four when my brother moved in. I was glad to have a playmate. We were poor and had nothing. My brother didn't have anything either. He fit right in.
ReplyDeleteI was first-born too, but the second-born didn't survive, so my folks adopted. Still number ONE! Yeah!
ReplyDeleteWonderful photo of the three of you. Your brother and sister were adorable - and you, were pretty cute too.
I can tell you that being second and youngest when the first is a goodie two shoes is a pain in the butt. I never measured up and had to be a brat to get attention. Once in charge, always in charge. Once a brat, always a brat.
ReplyDelete~anyjazz...lucky little brother to have such an accepting playmate...that's priceless!
ReplyDelete~Kat...How very special that you and your adopted sibling both got to be Number One. My siblings are still pretty adorable...most of the time. Thanks for commenting.
~Helen...my siblings would probably agree with you...although their title for me was 'BossySue' which is not far from goodie two shoes. Yep, once in charge and once a brat...sometimes it's what got us through!!!
That picture is so you! Joyful and exuberant!
ReplyDeleteThanks, PomPom. I bet you were a smiling, happy little girl, too. I know you sure bring a big smile to my face now, and the joy you share is so special. Thanks for stopping by!!!
ReplyDeleteLove your photo Sue and the story! Birth order stuff is such an interesting topic. Is it bunk? I wonder. My eldest DD is often still in charge, but "miss in the middle" has carved her own role in the family hierachy in her inimitable way. She was also the youngest for a number of years so she has a dollar each way. Youngest had four "parents" to help/hassle her.
ReplyDeleteDid you ever use the "it's not fair...I'm the eldest/youngest"?
Pauleen...I guess the "it's not fair" card is played by all regardless of one's place in the family. My parents had a pat answer for that..."Life's not fair, but we do the best we can, and you will, too".
ReplyDeleteThe baby in the photo became a "Miss In the Middle", and boy howdy did she ever carve out her place in the family. She became the link between the two oldest and the two youngest.
Hello Sue, I am not the first child born but the second of six. In every photo we take we always line up by age. HA! I can't comment on the issue of first borns but I always thought my grandmother loved my older sister the most. Probably because my mother was very ill and she took care of my sister for the first 3 months of her life. "bonding"
ReplyDeleteOtherwise, I always felt very special my whole life. I agree with your opinion totally. 'BUNK"
Wishing you happy days.
xo,
Jeanne
As a fellow No 1, I can only say mmmhhh ...
ReplyDeleteWelcome to Sepia Saturday.
I also am a No. 1 but as we all move towards our senior years I'm finding there is less deference than there used to be from my siblings:)
ReplyDeleteI say, once a princess, always a princess! What a delightful post this is!
ReplyDeleteAnother No 1 here too!
ReplyDeleteI feel I still have the upper hand as everyone says I look younger than both my siblings!
Hi Sue .. I'm no one too and teamed up with my brother (younger) and a friend .. so we were a right threesome .. the even younger one didn't really stand a chance - though for a while he was cute!
ReplyDeleteGlad to see your visit to your Mama has been an inspirational time ..
Cheers Hilary
Another first born here! The study of birth order is interesting. My sister and her husband are both the baby of their families. She often laughs about it saying they are both waiting for someone else to take care of them and that's why nothing gets done. Oh well....
ReplyDeleteWendy...I knew you to be first born from our years of blogging and sharing family histories, and as they say...It takes one to know one...LOL!!!
ReplyDeleteFunny about your sister and husband...as good an excuse as any!!!
Our younger boy complained on being left out as he wasn't number one and number three was a girl!
ReplyDeleteHilary...love your comment 'for awhile he was cute'...funny how they grow out of that in they eyes of their older siblings. I have to say though, our youngest brother grew from cute baby to still cute 6ft8in man...he made me feel like the baby. Special memories!
ReplyDeleteBob...Yes, those middle kids have it rough. However, their is a plus side...they are usually the ones that bond with #1 and #2 and often get away with more mischief. Thanks for commenting.
ReplyDeleteWell, thanks for joining us again here on SS. That's a great photo, and I think the baby ticks the box for the 'stare' as well!
ReplyDeleteNell...Yes, she does and to this day she has a way of putting that 'green eyed stare' to good use in putting her older and younger siblings in our places. It's one of those "I mean it" looks...LOL!!!
ReplyDeleteIt's good to be back to Sepia Saturday...thanks for the welcome!
So cute! I am a first born of 4, and I always liked that fact. I did think that my younger sisters got babied and didn't have to make their own beds, but other than that I enjoyed my role. I also got pretty good at taking care of little kids early on.
ReplyDeleteWonderful post.
Kathy M.
Kathy...Funny that you should mention taking care of little kids early. As the oldest of five, I sure got my share of that! Gave me great references for a teenage baby sitter, too. But most of all it was a big factor in my putting off starting my own family until my late twenties...LOL!
ReplyDeleteBTW, I was an expert bed maker whose baby sister never had to make the bed....she slept with me!
I was number one, but I didn't realize that I was an Experimental Model.
ReplyDeleteYou think Freud and Jung got you wrong? Imagine what precedes me in people's minds when they hear only child. I simply smile and stare. We all seemed to have turned out okay.
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