I clipped this a long time ago from a paper, but I’m not sure where but it may have been from The Boston Parent Paper
. I also read The Birth Order Book: Why You Are What You Are by Dr. Kevin Leman because it was kind of fun to see what traits are associated with birth order. One caveat, if there are large gaps between ages, the birth order switched around. For example, if the youngest child has a ten-year gap between his two older siblings, this child is really an “only child.” Likewise, a middle child of three girls is a true middle child but a middle child of girl, girl, boy is ALSO the youngest girl.
Take this quiz to see to what degree classic birth-order characteristics run in your family. (This is a pretty accurate description of my three kids, give or take a few!).
Oldest
- Responsible
- Conservative
- Doesn’t make waves
- Follows parents’ wishes
- Emotionally intense
- Authoritarian
- Perfectionist
- Driven
- Surrogate parent
- Leadership material
Middle
- Peacemaker
- Negotiator
- Highly attuned to the needs of others
- Doesn’t like to follow authority
- Creative
- Independent
- Peer-focused
- “Chameleon”
Youngest
- Comical/entertaining
- Highly social
- Laid back
- Dependent
- Creative
- Unconventional
- Few expectations of self
Pragmatic Mom 