Birth Order

[Lynne]

I'm the oldest with four sisters. I like to say that it's not fair that all four of my sisters have a brother but I don't have one, then see how long it takes someone to figure that out.

Being the oldest meant I was the responsible one, whenever anything went wrong I was held responsible.

I was also expected to take care of my sisters, I taught them to read, write, tie their shoes, ect. One clear memory is during summer school break my parents were at work and I was taking care of my sisters at home. My oldest sister, about 3 years younger than me, hit that point in puberty where she experienced her first monthly cycle. Our Mom had never taken the time to explain this to her so she was understandably scared and upset. And the only person who was available to talk to her and explain things was me. I cannot imagine a more awkward conversation. On the plus side, it's nearly impossible to offend me or gross me out or otherwise make me uncomfortable when my female coworkers start over sharing with each other about these issues.

Steve, you are one of the most well-rounded people, you were prepared well for life but couldn't have been easy.

 

[Lone Wolf]

I have an older half-sister that will be 51 in November. I'm the second and last. We both had great parents, but we grew up in entirely different worlds. Unfortunately, she fell into drugs and alcohol at a very young age, and she's still battling that addiction.