Your Pecking Order... Oldest, Middle, Youngest or Only?

I am the fourth of 5,but pretty much am the middle child.

My parents had two kids,a boy and a girl,then didn`t have any more for 11 years. Had my sister,then me two years later. My little sister came along 5 years later. So the two eldest were pretty much gone as we were growing up,making me the middle child.
 

Oldest of five, three of us left. Can't really complain, but being the oldest with that many kids, a lot of duty's come your way. Went to work for my dad when I was ten. Spent a lot of time in the bottom of trenches with a shovel. Made me strong, and gave me my work ethic, which has helped me get where I am. My youngest brother was totally spoiled, as my parents were in much better shape financially than when I was young, and the rest of us were out of the house. They did him no favors in raising him that way. He is a mess as a human being, and with them gone he is lost. I feel sorry for him, and have tried to help in the past, and have finally given up. Sometimes you just have to cut your loses, and move on. Mike
 
I was the oldest and have a younger brother and sister. I remember my parents telling me to be good because I would infuence my brothers and sisters behaviors. I was stupid back then and thought they meant for me to keep behaving good but I know now that they wanted me to quit being such a moron.
 
I'm the baby and have 2 older (both still living) brothers, one was 16 and the other was 9 when I was born. Because of the age gap and personality differences, the eldest and I were never close.

The other brother and I were buddies and I admire him greatly. He was the "black sheep" of the family and very smart and funny. He helped form many of my interests...authors, movies, history.
 
I am two years older than my only sibling, my brother....I can remember watching over and protecting him, once when he was in first grade we were riding the bus home and older kids started picking on him, he started crying, then I started crying, then the older kids were picking on both of us...hahaha.....later in our teen years my mother tired reversing the protection role, my brother could drive the car to school, because he was 'the boy' :rolleyes:.... and I had to ride with him in the passenger seat...never forgot that bit of unfairness.
 
I am the eldest of 4, but a broad range of ages between us. I was an only child for 7 years, so you can guess how I greeted my brother. Especially since he destroyed every toy and doll I ever had. Then, 7 years after he came along, my sister was born. Then 32 months later my baby brother was born. I did not really know those kids at all as I was away at school and once I graduated from college, I moved to the West Coast.
 
Most members here know about my oldest sister's death, well since then my dad succumbed to kidney failure right on the dialysis machine and my mom succumbed to COPD then my middle sister had a massive CVA then my older brother succumbed to prostate cancer. All of them were pretty good at nutritional intake and very few health vices. Being the youngest and the most spoiled sibling I pretty much did whatever I pleased and got away with just about 99% of my antics while my family slept at night. I mostly snuck out and about since elementary school with my cousin, our crew and girlfriends drinking anything that contained alcohol right up to senior high school. I only drink beer now. I was and still am the consummate garbage belly poster boy. My diet consist of whatever has a high sugar content. I never ever even expected to live this long. Go figure.
 
I'm an only child. I wasn't spoiled but was well taken care of and loved.
When I was about 10 my cousin came to live with us. My aunt and uncle were going through a messy divorce and it was decided that my mom and dad would give him a more stable environment until his parents worked things out.

At first it was quite an adjustment for me. I wasn't around little kids that much and at that time I thought he was getting a bit to much attention which looking back, he really needed.
He was and still is a big part of my life and these days we consider ourselves brother and sister rather than cousins.
As the years pass I wish more and more that I had had a sibling. Most of my family has passed but I still have him.
 
What a both painful, yet enjoyable thread. The different stories of member's lives, it makes me happy, yet at the same time, humble. My mother died aged 33, leaving Dad with four children under the age of ten, to raise alone, me being the oldest. My father's pain must have influenced his children, of his four children, only two are parents today. The two oldest, myself & my sister, the next born after me, are without children. The third born had three children. The fourth born had no children for almost twenty years after he had married, then a very unexpected surprise happened. His daughter, their only child, has grown up and been the apple of her Dad's eye, and if I'm honest, mine too.

At the time, it felt a heavy burden being the oldest, but that was because my Father shared his despair and I felt ill equipped to cope with it. Circumstances are that those experiences weighed heavily on my siblings and I when it came to procreation.
 
I'm the youngest of 4, and a lot younger than the rest. I suspect that I'm a offspring of "I didn't think I could get pregnant at my age" mother.
It was a bit like being an 'only child' but with siblings. In fact I think the family were all "only children" because we were totally unlike one another in all respects. My eldest brother died many years ago and I have had no contact with any family members for 20+ years.

This doesn't trouble me as we had nothing in common.
 
To some extent i've experienced all but being 'middle' because all my siblings never lived in under the same roof at same time with me.

First year of life an only, doted on by parents and neighbors.

Then my 3 older by (7-10 yrs) half-sisters from Dad's first marriage arrived. i became the 'baby'. Especially to my eldest sister. My parents split up for good when i was 10, Mom took me to NJ where most relatives on both sides were and i became a de facto only again, but now i had this huge extended family with cousins who were older and younger.

When i was 16 my Mom had my brother (a New Year's baby 1963) in the middle of my Junior year of high school. i suddenly was an oldest. While his Dad paid support and occasional had him for a weekend it was mostly Mom and Me caregiving and she went back to work in 6 weeks. She'd work 2nd or 3rd shift at a factory. When she worked 3rd it was hardest--my baby bro was not much of daytime sleeper and most weekdays i was at school so she could not sleep till i got home, i could not do homework till he was down was for the night and in the morning i had to do morning child care duties as well as getting ready for school--she'd arrive home just in time for me to leave for school.

i've been close to all my siblings. But my 'baby brother' has special place in my heart. i had lots of babysitting experience but the two years till i left home taught me a lot--including that even tho i really like not just loved kids--i didn't want ones of my own till i was older. i was 2 months shy of 29 when i had my 'boys' and ready to focus on parenting, didn't have my daughter till 8 yrs later.
 
I am the youngest child of my parent's 3 kids. There was a 13yr difference between me and my older brother. MY Sister is 2 yrs older than me. I was born because my Dad wanted my sister to have a closer in age sibling.Both of my parents were very good to me and I am very close to my sister. My brother moved far away when I was 20. The only thing was his kids are closer in age to me so I am close to them. My brother passed away 3 yrs ago and he never bonded with either my sister or me.
 
I was older than my sister. As soon as I graduated, I left New York for California. I have been here ever since other than 3 years when I was over seas.
My sister still has friends she went to school with.
The difference between East Coast and West Coast attitudes in amazing. They believe everything West of the Hudson River is the Wild West.
 
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