I'm the oldest child in my Family. Yes, the first born. And with that comes all the fame and fortune. Uh, if there were any fame and fortune to be had I guess. But alas there is not. I do however, think being the first born gave me a skill set that successive siblings didn't get.
I know the title of this post and the paragraph above sounds self righteous, self centered, and egotistical. But that's not how I want it to come across. This post isn't really about me, per se, but more about the position of the first born child.
Admit it, as the first born, I get to experience everything first. I get to help Mom and Dad hone their skills. I get to see all the mistakes and the successes. I get to learn how to deal with Kids and Adults. It's an environment few experience. If you are a middle or tail end child, typically you could care less about all that stuff and find it easier to stay clear of the Family all together.
As an example. I joined the Marines right out of High School. I was scared to death, I didn't know what to expect. I was told to never volunteer, ever. And I soon found out why. If you volunteer, you get to show all the other Marines how something is done. Most of the time, it wasn't very fun. Some times though it was. However, my last name starts with an A and I typically was the first name on a list of alphabetical last names. So if someone didn't volunteer, I got to demonstrate anyway because I was first on the list.
At the time I hated it. I never wanted to go first. But today, I am very thankful that I was forced to be first, stand in front of the crowd, shoe everyone what to do. What I didn't realize at the time was happening, I was learning to be a leader. Yes, a leader. Someone who will take charge, not afraid to be first, to make decisions, to mentor, coach, and make everyone feel safe. It's in my nature, and I it's because I was always first.
I noticed this not too long ago in my oldest Daughter. She has become a natural leader. She leads the younger siblings (but they would never admit it.) She understand how to do things, doesn't have a problem being first. Looking at her and what she has gone through (lived through my Wife and I honing our parenting skill), I'm very proud. I know she will succeed at what ever she does in life. In fact, I find I'm less worried about her future than I am of the younger siblings. Mostly because the pecking order prevents them from leading, and forces them to follow.
Of course this isn't true in every case with every Family. But I firmly believe the order in which you were born can have a direct affect on your future.
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