Welcome to Wiser Now’s weekly email blast which reflects my eclectic interests and, I hope, yours. This week, my focus is on National Siblings Day, coming up April 10th. Much has been written about birth order and how it affects our personalities – or if it does. Do you fit your supposed traits? Read on.
I hope you find these offerings fun, and perhaps even useful, and welcome your feedback. (Kathy@WiserNow.com) And if you haven’t yet pressed the subscribe button so this newsletter doesn’t go to spam, please do so now.
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The Quirky Quote
Both are true:
The advantage of growing up with siblings is that you become very good at fractions.
~ Robert Brault
I grew up with six brothers. That’s how I learned to dance – waiting for the bathroom. ~ Bob Hope.
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The Quirky Facts
Alfred Adler (1870 – 1937) was a Viennese ophthalmologist turned psychologist who is most often quoted with regard to birth order dynamics. A colleague for a time of Sigmund Freud, he rejected some of Freud’s theories and sought to create a psychological movement based on a holistic view of each person as an individual. This means that while he believed birth order played a role in shaping a child’s personality, so did the following factors:
- Biological: Children inherit many traits and features from their parents. These include intelligence, courage, and physical features.
- The three E’s: Family economics, education and ethnicity. (Economics refers, of course, to a family’s financial health, but it may also be influenced by location, such as urban or rural. Education is not just the level of education, but the value placed by the family on learning. And if we are raised in a family with a strong sense of its cultural identity, that, too, will obviously be a factor.)
- Our own parents’ birth order and their parenting style and expectations
- Who is raising us: single parents, a multi-generational family, a blended family, nannies, a boarding school
- How many total children are in the family (The middle children among seven have different experiences than the middle of three children.)
- How far apart the children are in age and their gender (A child of another gender born second may have the characteristics of a first-born child, and a child born five or more years after the first may also have first-born characteristics.)
- Traumatic events, such as divorce, a death in the family, a family member with a serious illness or handicap, war, separations, and so on.
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But in spite of these enormous variables, there does seem to be some truth to the following characteristics for many people:
(See Resources for photo credit at right.)
First born
- Reliable
- Conscientious
- Structured
- Cautious
- Controlling
- High achievers
Middle
- People-pleasers
- Somewhat rebellious
- Thrives on friendships
- Has large social circle
- Peacemaker, diplomatic
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Youngest
- Fun-loving
- Uncomplicated
- Manipulative
- Outgoing
- Attention-seeker
- Self-centered
Only child:
- Mature for their age
- Perfectionists
- Conscientious
- Diligent
- Leaders
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Children who are twins, adopted, or part of a blended family often have their own characteristics to which the above do not necessarily apply. (You can read much more by following the links under Resources.) |
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The Quirky Observations
I am the youngest in a family of three children, and I was most pleased to read that the youngest child is often the funniest, as evidenced by Billy Crystal, Eddie Murphy, Goldie Hawn, Drew Carey, Jim Carrey, Whoopi Goldberg, Steve Martin, Jon Stewart, Ellen DeGeneres, and the late Charlie Chaplin.
I am not personally funny, but I am a great encourager of a funny viewpoint.
While there are examples of siblings who have chosen the same career, such as astronaut twins Mark and Scott Kelly and physicians Will and Charlie Mayo, music seems to be the field that has sprouted the most sibling careers. In the interest of conserving space, I have listed just a few below.
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Not all group names reflect their members. For example, members of the folk-singing group The Brothers Four, performing since the late 1950s never had sibling members. In other cases, their names are accurate:
- The Allman Brothers (Duane and Gregg and a bunch of unrelated others)
- The Andrews Sisters (Patty, Maxene, and LaVerne)
- The Everly Brothers (Don and Phil)
- The Jonas Brothers (Nick, Joe, and Kevin)
- The Lennon Sisters (originally, Dianne, Peggy, Kathy, and Janet)
- The McGuire Sisters (Phyllis, Dorothy and Christine)
- The Mills Brothers (pictured: Donald, Herbert, Harry, and John, Jr.)
Some used their real last name, but didn’t specify their relationship:
- The Carpenters (Karen and Richard)
- The Cowsills (mother Barbara and siblings Bill, Bob, Barry, John, Susan, Paul, and occasionally Richard)
- The Jackson 5 (Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael Jackson)
- The Osmonds (Originally called the Osmond Brothers and originally just Alan, Wayne, Merrill and Jay, later joined by brothers Donny and Jimmy, and still later a separate duo of Donny and younger sister Marie)
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Others have chosen a name that doesn’t reflect their relationship:
- AC/DC (Malcolm and Angus Young)
- The Beach Boys (Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson)
- The Bee Gees (pictured: Barry Gibb and his younger twin brothers, Robin and Maurice)
- The Chicks (formerly Dixie Chicks – sisters Marty Erwin Maguire and Emily Erwin Strayer, plus Natalie Maines)
- Creedence Clearwater Revival (originally John and Tom Fogerty, plus Stu Cook and Doug Clifford)
- Van Halen (Alex and Eddie)
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The Featured Product
Sibling names can be interesting, too. The Wiser Now slide show “Nifty Names” reflects my love of name stories – changed names, beautiful names, funny names, unusual names. That means these 115 slides cover eclectic facts and all of the following:
- A discussion on popular first names from the 1930s – 60s and more recently
- Funny names
- Reminiscing about names
- A trivia quiz on pen names
- Word games on eponyms, punny marriages, punny shop names, apt names, So I Says, name clipping, and rock group names vs. roller coaster names
Perhaps more than any other WN slide show, this one is meant to amuse you and stir your imagination. I hope you love the topic as much as I do. Go ahead and order it now.
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The Questions
- Do you have siblings and if so, describe your relationship with them. What are the best and worst things about siblings?
- If you have children, how are their sibling relationships different from yours with your siblings?
- Do you think the descriptions of birth order accurately reflect you? (Check the Resources links for more info.)
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Please Spread the Word
WNW is an award-winning publication used by activity professionals, teachers, aging adults and their grandkids, and lots of people in between. Please share it, and if you represent an organization that would like a customized version or would consider becoming a sponsor, send me a note at Kathy@WiserNow.com.
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New Directions for Sharing
Each week, the links to the current and seven previous Wiser Now Wednesdays are provided in the archive (“WN Wed Archive” on the far right of the menu bar). Click on the issue you want to share, and when it appears, at the top of the screen you will see “Share” with an f for Facebook and a bird for Twitter. Click on them to share to your contacts or just copy the URL at the top of your screen and send it to them in an email. Thank you!
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The Quiz - Remarkable Animal Siblings
A surprising number of birds and animals are exemplary loyal siblings. Can you match the creature to its behavioral description? (See Resources for more information)
1. African elephants
2. Cascades frogs
3. Killer whales
4. Otters (Asian short-clawed)
a. These families may be made up of more than a dozen siblings, who as long as their parents are alive, often never part. Older female siblings help raise the younger offspring, sometimes even holding hands so that they don't drift apart.
b. Babies from the same mother of this species form an extremely close bond and never separate for more than a few hours in their lifetime.
c. While the males tend to live on their own, these mothers and children stay together all their lives. The females look after each other’s babies and the older sisters take care of their younger siblings.
d. These siblings get to know each other as tadpoles, and while they are separated as they morph, they will remember their siblings even as an adult, and may leave groups they're not related to so that they can hang out with their family.
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5. Naked mole rats
6. Peregrine falcons
7. Shrews
8. Turkeys
a. This species is about brotherhood. As they mature, they form remarkable fraternities with their brethren for life, helping each other to hunt and forage for food. A brother may even help a dominant brother attract females while he himself foregoes mating.
b. These siblings hone their hunting skills by taking turns being hunter and prey. They swoop down on each other in the air, being careful not to hurt each other.
c. These little mammals form a caravan of up to seven babies with mom in the lead. Each sibling clamps down on the tail of the creature in front so their quick-moving line can escape danger.
d. These creatures can have hundreds of siblings, all from the same mother. The older sisters organize themselves into large, close colonies, where they maintain burrows, help to defend against predators and feed their younger siblings. Usually only one female in a colony is allowed to reproduce; her sisters will sacrifice having mates so that the colony structure remains organized.
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Answers to the quiz
1.c 2.d 3.b 4.a 5.d 6.b 7.c 8.a
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My multiple goals are to amuse and inspire you, to share what I and people whom I admire are doing, to stimulate your curiosity and spur you to action. I hope you enjoyed this offering. You can access previous issues here. I welcome your feedback. (Kathy@WiserNow.com)
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