Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Middle Sister

I have five brothers and sisters.  Three brothers and two sisters.  I am the middle sister.  



One of my sisters gave me this.  One the back it says this.....

Do you know that birth order is commonly believed to have a profound and lasting effect on psychological development?  And that the middle sister has a greater chance of having a special wine named just for her?  A sassy blend of our three favorite white varieties perfect for sipping before, during and after our favorite family meals.  Some people are just born lucky.  Now give me back my blouse.

It's called Wicked White!

Yes, the one in the middle is me....the skinny one.  Ha!  I wish.

Cute, huh?  I'll tell you a little secret though.....it wasn't ME saying Give me back my blouse!   But enough of that!

I love being the middle sister.  I mean, hey, it gives me an excuse for a lot of stuff! Besides I was between two great women.  I can say that now that we are no longer children.


What seems like a long, long time ago now, I worked with first time offenders.  We were based out of the Un*versity of W*st Fl*rida and went to lots and lots of seminars on everything from relaxation (that one flew right over my head) to the effects of birth order in families.  Quite frankly, having learned how people are supposed to behave according to their birth order, compared to how they actually behave, I think the research is a bunch of bunk wrong in many cases.

For instance, according to some sources, middle children come in a couple of different varieties.  They are either quiet, shy loners who are uptight and impatient......or they are outgoing, friendly, loud, laid back and patient.

AND we are prone to be peacemakers, mediators, good judges of character, etc.  Supposedly some of our weaknesses are that we are rebellious, stubborn, cynical and suspicious.

For further clarification you would have to ask one of my five siblings about my personality....although they do tend to lie shamelessly! 

I am not shy, but I may be a tad uptight and impatient!  I would say I am outgoing and friendly.  My husband would say I am loud.

No one I know would say I am laid back or patient.

I do believe I am prone to be a peacemaker and I have been told by my good friend Tammy that I am a good judge of character and have good first impressions of people.  I'm afraid I am rebellious and was especially so in my teens according to various all family members.  I can be quite stubborn, don't think I'm cynical and am on occasion could be suspicious, although not so much now that the children are all grown!  Joke children, joke!  AND you guys know you gave me plenty of reasons to be suspicious that had NOTHING to do with my birth order!


Just a side note.......I have often compared myself to my sisters over the years.


Here we are in birth order.  Left to right, youngest to oldest.


My older sister has always been......according to teachers that I had the dubious privilege of having AFTER she had them.......smart and studious.  In middle school, one teacher even said I couldn't be her sister.  It wasn't meant to be a compliment to me.  She had lots of friends and boyfriends in high school and was much more popular than I was.  She is a beautiful woman and is caring and nurturing to everyone.  She is always right there when needed and is often needed by all who know her.  She's a great wife and mother and sibling. 


My younger sister.......as a child and actually always, was the good sister.  Meaning she was quiet about what she did!  :)  She was actually very shy as a child.  She's also the one that looks most like our mama.  She has beautiful, curly, thick dark hair and works out so she looks great.  ARGGG.....   She stayed home the longest while older and middle sisters married wayyyyy too young.  In that way, she was probably much smarter.  Extremely talented, she's also a great wife, mother and sibling.

Both sisters are good friends to me, which is the trait I love most of all.


Me?  I was very average in school.......not so much due to ability as to the fact that I loved to socialize.  I often got lower grades in conduct.  If you're younger than 45 you probably don't even know what conduct is on a report card.   It basically means I talked too much.....still do.  I had lots of friends and a few boyfriends.  I was verrrrry dramatic.  My husband might say I still am a tad drama driven!  I think I am a good wife and mother, but I'll leave that observation to husbands and children.

I'll say, despite any research, that I am very grateful to be in a large family, even with all the birth order quirks!

This was fun!  There are tons of articles written and research done on the effects of birth order.  I, quite frankly, think we are who He made us to be.....



Oh, and don't worry, I'll get to the brothers another day!




 

14 comments:

Dawn said...

Fun post. I am the eldest of 5 - when I read Kevin Lehmann's birth order book, my youngest brother, Randy, and I fit the profile amazingly. The other three not so much. But it's interesting.

Your younger sister sure is different from the other two of you!

Tonja said...

LOVED this post. How much fun to have 2 sisters! I'm sure you all have wonderful memories of childhood and adulthood, as well.

Needled Mom said...

Interesting! I was the middle child for ten years until my baby sister arrived. Do you think that counts as well? I am definitely the peacemaker in the family.

Cathy said...

Thank you, that was very sweet!! You notice Lance Anderson in the background. He is the only one in the picture who doesn't look any older today!!

Debby@Just Breathe said...

I can't imagine what it is like to have so many siblings. I was the baby so I was spoiled. Your sisters sound perfect. My daughter didn't do as well in school as my son and she too had the same teachers he did!

Sheryl said...

loved this post! what fun you all must have had and still continue to have. your sisters are blessed to have YOU.

loved that bottle of wine...how fun

Justabeachkat said...

Great post. I'm the oldest of three girls. Hmmmmm...maybe the wine will be a good gift for my middle sister. Did you like it?

Hugs,
Kat

Katie and Beau said...

Aw, this was sweet. I love to read about birth order.

LBDDiaries said...

We are who He made us to be - that was good! This was a great post - I'm one of two and the oldest - what does that make me? I'm pretty sure I don't fit that mold since I've changed many times and so dramatically over the years. Again, due to what God has done for me (after I messed things up)!! You and your sis's are beautimous!

LBDDiaries said...

Oh oh oh - and YES to conduct - we even had it in high school - i well remember Sophomore english sitting in the hallway... because why? I got caught talking AGAIN! They called my dad in - it was embarrassing! Did it stop me? Guesses anyone???

Midlife Mom said...

Great post, I love it! I too am the middle child with two older sisters and one younger sister and brother. I am definitely the peacemaker, always wanting everyone to be happy about everything all the time. My husband is also the middle child with two older and two younger so we make quite the combination! Super post, really enjoyed it!!!

Mimi said...

HI!!!
I also am the middle sister!!!One older one younger!!I loved being in the middle also. We also had a baby brother, so my younger sister says she is the middle child!!!!I am some of the same qualities as you!!Birth order is very fun to learn and some are so true, others it does not fit!!My oldest fits the oldest to a T, her hubby is an oldest and Does not fit him at all, his younger brother is more the oldest type. My youngest is like an Oldest, just saying!!!Some may disagree!!!that's ok!!
I hear the PREZ is headed to the GUlf of Florida, 2nd weekend in Aug., about time....
Everyone should vacation on the gulf, he said, then he went to Maine!!!
Destin is the spot I hear!!!!
hugs,
jamie

Gigi said...

How fun!!!! I only have one brother - 13 years older than me. Not very interesting there!

I hope you'll try the video on my blog again...I checked it on my end and it seems to be working fine. Maybe it was just a YouTube glitch this morning - you know how that goes! How is your Mom doing, by the way?

The Hatcher's said...

That was a neat post! I had no idea you had that many siblings either.