It’s confusing to think about something as unpredictable as a dream arriving on a set schedule. And yet my subconscious manages to procure the same dream every few months: My three younger siblings and I run frantically from an unknown malicious presence.
As the oldest, and as a creative genius, I craft various hide outs, and we’re all scared, and the unknown presence is drawing closer — we can hear its breath — and I wake up.
Clearly my role as the oldest sibling pervades both my subconsciousness and real life.
Living at home, I was the quintessential oldest child: consummate babysitter, stand-in disciplinarian, voice of authority. I lost, naturally, the daily realities of that role coming to college, but I am constantly reminded of how forcefully that distinction shapes my personality.
Family Weekend provided me with an opportunity to examine the unique dynamics that exist within every family, and the various ways that birth order determines temperament.
Birth-order theory — a real thing — dictates that oldest children are generally conscientious and perfectionists. Middle children earn the distinction of being people-pleasers, while youngest children are typically more outgoing and fun-loving. Don’t worry, only children — you have the advantage of being, according to psychologists, an intense version of an oldest child.
These theories obviously can’t account for the full nuanced scale of human personality, but the influence of birth order, or lack thereof, is apparent.
As I met various friends’ families — my own parents were not present because they hate me — and observed their interactions, certain personality traits shifted into focus.
My friend’s tendency to unquestioningly assume a caretaker role was explained by her relationship with her carefree younger sister, and my roommate’s total self-reliance made sense given her place as one of nine siblings.
