Finally, admission: You are what you are nurtured to be.

Now that the pre-teens and teen “experts” have recognized and admitted this magical phenomena occurs, …….. maybe the baby and child “experts” will take a more serious look at their bogus studies.

No fair! Readers’ tales of sibling injustice

Debating the eternal argument: Which kid got away with murder?

Anyone blessed with a sibling has a story about how their parents treated them unfairly compared to their brothers and sisters — but now, first-borns have some research to back that claim. After reading an msnbc.com story about the plight of the older sibling, first-borns, middles and babies e-mailed us their childhood stories of stuff that just wasn't fair.

"I was the oldest and my parents were WAY different on me then they were on my sister," writes Valerie. She's 26, and her younger sister is 21. "She's still getting better treatment! ... Two years ago at Christmas, I got a card and she got a laptop! She has broken it and now they're going to buy her another one."

And although one little sister owns the fact that she got away with murder as a kid, she's also appreciative of the battles her big sisters fought for her.

"I always say that having two older sisters was like having the proverbial ice breakers — they trudge through the 'parental waters,' breaking the ice so younger siblings like me get the smooth sailing through childhood," writes one New York-based reader.

"But on the flip side of that," she continues, "if you can count four baby pictures of me you would be lucky, compared to the barrage of of photos of every single step my oldest sister ever took!"

Keep reading for more responses.

(16 more plus this last one)

As the youngest, I had less parental rules to follow growing up, but also less parental involvement in activities they already participated in with my older siblings. I had little or no incentive as a teen to get a job as everything was paid for by my parents. I failed my first year of college, not being prepared emotionally or academically to be in that environment. I finished college years later on my dime. I've been striving ever since to find my professional calling. Ironically (or not), my oldest brother is a lawyer, my older brother is a research physician, and I'm working as temp still trying to find my calling in life. By no means do I blame my parents for where I am in life, but I think there was definitely a difference in upbringing between myself and my siblings that have instilled different attitudes and values about work and life.
— Anonymous, Kansas City, Mo.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24468830/

And a companion story to the above one, to wit:

The plight of the older sibling

First-born kids really do have it tougher, new research finds

There are two Jones brothers, Joshua and Justin. But when something breaks — like the time a soccer ball crashed through a garage window — it’s usually Joshua who gets the lecture: You’re the oldest, his parents remind him. You need to set an example. Your younger brother is watching.

Now, a new study has confirmed what first-borns like Joshua have always suspected: The oldest kid in the family really does bear the brunt of parental strictness, while the younger brothers and sisters generally coast on through.

“The folklore is that parents punish the older child more than the younger ones,” says Lingxin Hao, a sociology professor at Johns Hopkins University and an author of the study, published in the latest issue of the Economic Journal. “But it isn’t just folklore — this is a national pattern.”

First-borns who dropped out of school were 20 percent less likely to be getting most of their annual income from their parents than younger siblings in the same situation, Hao and her team found after reviewing annual surveys, involving more than 7,000 kids each year, conducted from 1979 to 1994 by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In addition, the researchers found, first-born daughters who got pregnant as teenagers were 30 percent less likely to be getting ……………..

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24397323/

YUP, the "experts" now need to do a realistic study on "The plight of the new borns".



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OK......so where do you fall in the birth order of your family? I am the firstborn, and only girl. I have two younger brothers. I always told my brothers I broke 'em in. I also always knew part of the reason I was treated so differently was because I was a girl. Like....my father bought my brother a car when I was 16 and he was 15 and couldn't drive it for a year. I didn't get a car because "girls don't need one so much."

Stephanie wrote:OK......so where do you fall in the birth order of your family?

Ya really want too know, …… huh?

I am #10 of 11.

I have/had four (4) older brothers, ..... five (5) older sisters ...... and one (1) younger brother. Eight (8 ) of us still living. My oldest sister was killed in a car wreck and two of my older brothers "missing" in a Canadian bush plane disappearance.

And “YES”, my younger brother (16 months) was “the baby” of the family ….. including all the years growing up, through school and for years afterwards.

HA, I delivered newspapers, mowed lawns, etc., from the time I was big enough until I finished High School just to buy things I wanted, ….. whereas my younger brother did none of those things but got what he wanted, even a Honda motorcycle.

And yes, the difference between the “nurturing” of him and I is quite evident based on “achievements”.

Steph, I have enough immediate family and relatives …… to conduct a pretty sophisticated “scientific study” on nurturing …….. without having to include any “strangers”.

And it would be more accurate and informative than other studies ...... because I would pretty much know when one of them was trying to bullshidt me.



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Holy crap....I hear about these older hillbilly families and am convinced you all have some Italian in you! LOL Grandma was one of 9 and Grandpa was one of 13!

Your study would contain your personal biases because those people are so close to you. Sowwy, Sammy, won't make the grade.

Ms. Ziggy was the 16th of 17.

Were they all single births? Jeepers crow...you're MIL was one heck of a woman!

Yes, all single births.

Stephanie wrote:Holy crap....I hear about these older hillbilly families and am convinced you all have some Italian in you! LOL Grandma was one of 9 and Grandpa was one of 13!

NO, NO, NO, NO, .....not Catholic, ............... Passionate Hillbilly.

Stephanie wrote:Your study would contain your personal biases because those people are so close to you. Sowwy, Sammy, won't make the grade.

HA, I done told you there were no Italians genes in the family.

Maybe the other way around though, ....... that I will attest to.

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