Birth Order: The Oldest

I have always been fascinated by the subject of personality traits accorded to those born in a certain order. And I’ve been amazed by how accurate some of the assessments can be.

Ashley, for instance, could be a model for the first born. She is responsible and can always be depended on to do whatever task she undertakes. When she was 8 years old, I would drive to the store, send her in with the money, and she always came back with the change and correct item(s). (The grocery store where we shopped had parking places right by the door and I could carefully watch the exit.)

When she was a teenager, I could give her my bank card to get me some cash while she was out on an errand. I remember some of my friends looking at me in amazement when I gave her my credit card to go shopping. And the interesting part about all this is I never thought twice about trusting her like that. That other mothers didn’t do the same was surprising to me. She never let me down.

Ashley was also a parent pleaser as the typical first born is supposed to be. She made excellent grades and we never had to worry about alcohol or drugs with her. Her only B in high school was in Driver’s Ed, and she probably didn’t even deserve that since she was to have five wrecks in the next few years (none of them serious). However, she was independent enough to have her own ideas (remember the dress battle?)

She sounds perfect, doesn’t she? But I must admit to failure on my part (and hers too) in one area: she was very messy. Her room always looked like Katrina had been through it, with clothes, both clean and dirty, in piles everywhere. The closets were unbelievable, defying description. The Lobsters teased her about the clutter that always seemed to collect around her on trips, but she was undeterred. The confusion simply didn’t bother her.

I would like to say that when she married and had her own home, that all changed. But, alas, it didn’t. It IS difficult to keep a straight house with four children around, so I refuse to be critical. And now that the children are growing up and leaving the nest, the house has much more order to it.

But the REAL reason I’m not judgmental about this personality trait is that I’m just like her, as my sisters and the genius will attest to. The apple didn’t fall very far.