Mr. Anderson, so glad you asked me this question. I am so happy to respond in kind. I ask birth order questions to pick people's brain. I LOVE PICKING PEOPLE'S BRAINS. I NEVER ASK QUESTIONS FOR VALIDATION. I DON'T NEED VALIDATION FROM OTHERS-ONLY CHILDREN DO THIS. I AM QUITE COMFORTABLE W/MY OPINION. I VALIDATE MYSELF. I love hearing others' opinions on birth order & how it influenced them for better or...…..worse. I have always been interested in birth order since college!
I am happy w/my birth order status. I wouldn't trade it for the world. In fact, I feel sorry for oldest children. Oldest children have it tough. Oldest children have complained to me the hell they are enduring. I never met a happy oldest child. Typically, they are morose & are quite envious of their younger siblings. One time at Barnes & Nobles, I listened to an oldest child of seven(she was an adult) complain about her life.
My mother was the oldest of ten & she had it very tough. Oldest children particularly those from large/very large families have conditions comparable to enslaved people & forced laborers. In fact, enslaved people & forced laborers had it easier than oldest children in large/very large families. My mother & aunt envied their younger siblings for they had it MUCH EASIER than they did. As an only child, I am blessed & never envied anyone. In fact, people I encountered envied my only child status. I can say that I had a BLESSED life as far!
I am against large/very large families. In fact, I am an advocate of 1-2 child families. I am for small families because children in such families have myriad opportunities to develop themselves. I am not looking for validation at all. I KNOW THAT I AM RIGHT REGARDING BIRTH ORDER SCENARIOS by studying birth orders & observing birth order dynamics from extended family members, friends, & associates. I feel that only children have it the best. As an only child, I was loved & given myriad opportunities. My mother & my oldest aunt caught hell from being the oldest daughters in a very large family. I wouldn't wish large/very large families on my worst, most despicable enemy. Large/very large families are cesspools of abuse. No right-minded nor intelligent person would have large/very large families. I am a staunch advocate of Planned Parenthood & SMALL, even VERY SMALL families. I view large/very large families as a sign of irresponsibility, even psychosis.
Regarding birth order, I have studied birth order from college days formally. Informally, I have observed birth order from childhood. Oldest children are screwed & get the shaft, particularly if they are in large/very large families. Forget about middle children, they aren't there. Youngest children get all of the shine. Wouldn't want to be these birth orders. Only children have it made. Every time I encounter an oldest child, I want to cry. They are overburdened unless they are one of two children. Middle children don't know where they stand & youngest are spoilt brats. I find the study of birth orders fascinating.
To answer my question: I feel the most comfortable in associating w/other only or oldest children from small families. I find youngest children, on average, to be quite trying & bratty- want to slap them verbally. Middle children need hugs & a dose of security because they were...….IGNORED, OH WELL...…….
As a child, friends from large/very large families came to my house to escape from their hellish environments. They hated being in their families. They LOVED my house & visited as often as possible. My mother & aunt also hated being in a very large family. My mother escaped-she went to boarding school & college, never looking back. My oldest aunt bore the brunt being mother to siblings.
Children from large/very large families endure hellish conditions-they have to raise themselves & each other, they are feral because they weren't exposed to culture, they have to do without-they live a primitive, animal existence. I wouldn't want that for any child. I always donated clothes & toys to children from large/very large families, friends & cousins. Children from large/very large families are impoverished & end up that way. They are also the least educated while children from small families are the most educated.
I despise large/very large families for the aforementioned reasons. In large/very large families, there is either very little or no parenting. I have observed this in large/very large families from childhood from my extended family members. Large/very large families are abnormal, even aberrant. There is no family in large/very large families as there is in small families where there is a strong cohesion between parents & children. I am glad to be from a small family where my parents are there for me & I for them. Children in large/very large families don't experience this at all- they don't have normal parent-child relationships.
If I had my way, families would be limited to 1-2, maybe 3 children. I feel that the 1-child family is THE IDEAL family. In such families, children are given individualized attention; they don't have to vie w/siblings for parental love, attention, & resources; there isn't any favoritism; such children will never be replaced by succedent siblings; and they will have socioeconomic & educational opportunities that children w/siblings won't even have! I am an UNAPOLOGETIC only child.
