So I have the only 'normal' family? The rest of you don't fit the profile. My source said at least 50% should meet that profile. You folks are weird.

 

I am the oldest. My sister is the middle child and my brother the youngest. All of us are responsible and fairly self sufficient without any drama. My mother lives with us now. She lived with my sister for the first 4 years after my father passed away so I always have grateful heart towards my sister and my brother in law for taking great care of my mother. I guess we don't fit that profile either. I think people come up with some interesting ideas to explain why things are the way they are in general but there are always different permutations in everything, too many variables.

 

Statistics can be weird when dealing with human behaviour , but I think you are onto something. I do think something occurs with middle children where the first born gets treated differently , and the youngest child gets treated different. The middle child may get a bit less attention or at least a different kind of attention. The older child can take a bit more liberty with their behaviour as parents are occupied with the middle and younger children. The younger child gets the very last bit of nurturing from the parents as the first two children start to be more independent. It is a very different dynamic when you have 3 or more children, compared to single children.

 

I can relate, as we are assisting my mom after my father passed. But my two older sisters wanted no part of that, it has been a challenge though.

 

I'm the baby of 3. My Mom had 2 siblings and my Dad had 8. Only one of my Dad's is left.

Oldest sibling is 15.5 years older (69 in February) and the middle child is 7.5 years older (60 in February). neither had kids. I was the only one to have any offspring (turns 30 in 3 weeks).

Yup we're all winter babies (including parents and Daughter-in-Law (birthday is Wednesday), from October to Valentine's Day).