Midlife Crisis: Support for Left Behind Spouses

Archives => Archived Topics => Topic started by: Rebel Yell on August 29, 2011, 06:48:42 AM

Title: Your Birth Order
Post by: Rebel Yell on August 29, 2011, 06:48:42 AM
I read part of an interesting book on vacation, got me to thinking.
"Birth Order Book, The: Why You Are the Way You Are"
by Kevin Leman
Title: Re: Birth Order
Post by: hyperglad on August 29, 2011, 06:51:06 AM
sorry I am confused of me or my H ?

If it is me, I am an only child which is not an option
Title: Re: Birth Order
Post by: Rebel Yell on August 29, 2011, 06:52:43 AM
I don't know if I can get any more options, however, only child is very close to oldest child
for this poll.
Title: Re: Birth Order
Post by: Rebel Yell on August 29, 2011, 06:53:35 AM
Yes I can, thanks, I'll get it fixed!
Title: Re: Your Birth Order
Post by: hyperglad on August 29, 2011, 07:07:26 AM
Ok will vote now  :)
Title: Re: Your Birth Order
Post by: justasking on August 29, 2011, 08:00:21 AM
Rebel

I am the ledest of 3 but the first girl too. But I voted eldest child.

xx
Title: Re: Your Birth Order
Post by: nesquick2 on August 29, 2011, 04:09:40 PM
im the middle of three girls.
Title: Re: Your Birth Order
Post by: stayingthecourse on August 29, 2011, 04:12:15 PM
Youngest of two.  I have an older brother
Title: Re: Your Birth Order
Post by: Mitzpah on August 29, 2011, 04:27:53 PM
The fact that I am the oldest child makes me a fixer?
Title: Re: Your Birth Order
Post by: StillStanding on August 29, 2011, 04:40:19 PM
When I was in college I read a book about firstborns. It talked about some of the personality traits we all have in common.

I'm hazy on the details now, but I seem to recall that firstborns are accustomed to looking after or helping their younger siblings growing up.
Title: Re: Your Birth Order
Post by: Stillpraying on August 29, 2011, 05:34:44 PM
I voted yesterday but didn't read it properly.

I should have voted eldest but selected youngest (I thought this was about my H again)

I am the eldest of 5.  4 girls and 1 boy.  The two after me are twins.  Girl and boy. The youngest was born 9 years after number 4.
Title: Re: Your Birth Order
Post by: leftylulu on August 29, 2011, 05:55:01 PM
I'm 2nd oldest, first born girl, I have a younger sister and brother. Alder had a pretty good theory going but I found you have to kind of look at several aspects to really get a good grasp of how that order pertains to yourself. I know that I hold both 1st and 2nd order aspects but not like how I would have thought. I am overly responsible and I am supposed to be in competition with the first born. I have always been in competition with my mom who is only 17 years older than I am. It took my personality psychology class to figure that one out.

Freud has some good stuff too if you take a look at stages of development. My is oral fixation and I just let go of my Oedipus/Electra complex which should have been done back in the early days. That's the competition with the same sex parent for the affections of the parent of the opposite sex. It's crazy what I learned about myself during that class.

I was always in competition with her when it came to men, pregnancies, lengths of marriages, you name it I probably threw it in her face that I was better than her. I remember I would remind her that I lasted in a marriage longer, waited longer to have kids (I was 19 she was 17), I raised my kids better than her, oh God I was horrible. I hated my mom but once I understood some of the reasonings behind it I started to forgive myself for it. My mom would date men that were the age of my husband as I date about 3-5 years older than me and she dated men 10-15 years younger than her.


I let go of a lot of hatred toward my mom in that class. It was very freeing especially since I have not wanted to have much to do with my mom for at least 24 years. I love my mom like I have never loved her and I not only tell her but I show her. I have learned lot about my mom like she was sexually abuse as a child, only once, even once can have a lasting effect. I am the only one in our family who knows it except her mom. It was freeing for her to tell me that but I also understand better why she had so many men come in and out of our lives. It's part of it, promiscuity. She never sought counseling for it but it seemed to help her acknowledging that it happened.

I volunteer in the BBBS program and my first little sister was sexually abused. I was asked if I had been because we all know people come to us for a reason and I said no but my immediate thoughts were my mom and my MLCer. I could see him being sexually abused by his brother when he was growing up. Just from the stories I have heard of his background. Hopefully someday I will get the opportunity to ask him because I will when the time is right. Especially since I saw how freeing it was for my mom and he knows I would only ask him out of genuine concern and he knows he's emotionally safe with me. He knows I won't blame him or look down on him it's not who I am. I know if it did happened he feels shame and blame because of it.

He has so much to come to terms with and I am glad I decided to stand because he really does deserve someone on his side, despite the pain he caused me ,when he has had the world against him most of his. I can let him deal with his own stuff because I know at some time he will need/want my help.

I've been in bachelor's program in psychology most of the time he has been gone. I graduate in 5 weeks and then I will take some time of just to celebrate me before I start my master's program. I am almost feeling resentful for being in school right now because since I have found another side of myself I just want to really dig deeper into knowing but sometimes homework gets in the way. My Master's degere is going to be in marriage/family counseling with a focus on crisis/trauma. I will be good at it look what I'm going through. I'm still here after 3 years feeling much stronger and more confident and I have a new found love, ME.
Title: Re: Your Birth Order
Post by: Wed2Him?Whatever. on October 27, 2011, 12:56:22 PM
Just curious, anyone want to weigh in on where they fit with the Monday's Child poem?  I was born on a Tuesday and my H was born on a Friday; so I have grace, he has love.   :-\

Mondays child is fair of face,
Tuesdays child is full of grace,
Wednesdays child is full of woe,
Thursdays child has far to go,
Fridays child is loving and giving,
Saturdays child works hard for his living,
And the child that is born on the Sabbath day
Is bonny and blithe, and good and gay.
Title: Re: Your Birth Order
Post by: WarriorPriestess on October 27, 2011, 01:38:34 PM
Just curious, anyone want to weigh in on where they fit with the Monday's Child poem?  I was born on a Tuesday and my H was born on a Friday; so I have grace, he has love.   :-\

Mondays child is fair of face,
Tuesdays child is full of grace,
Wednesdays child is full of woe,
Thursdays child has far to go,
Fridays child is loving and giving,
Saturdays child works hard for his living,
And the child that is born on the Sabbath day
Is bonny and blithe, and good and gay.


I am Monday's child, fair of face.  :)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/SparklerGirl/thumbnail-1.jpg)
Title: Re: Your Birth Order
Post by: Chrysalis on October 27, 2011, 02:56:00 PM
I'm afraid being Wednesday's child, I'm full of woe!  My ex was born on a Tuesday - not sure he is full of grace at the moment. ::) ::)
Title: Re: Your Birth Order
Post by: LeaveThePastBehind on October 27, 2011, 06:10:25 PM
I am the second born of 4 sisters. I definitely feel like birth order matters alot. At least to me.
Title: Re: Your Birth Order
Post by: Anjae on October 27, 2011, 06:15:41 PM
1st born of seven, have 2 younger sisters and 4 younger brothers. I'm a Sunday child. But Sabbath is not sunday but saturday...
Title: Re: Your Birth Order
Post by: nesquick2 on October 30, 2011, 04:36:37 PM
i was born on a wednesday but i refuse to be full of woe lol. we only live once. not sure what day hubby was born on