Poll

Where do you fall in your family birth order

Oldest
27 (50.9%)
Middle
8 (15.1%)
Youngest
11 (20.8%)
Only Child
7 (13.2%)

Total Members Voted: 53

Author Topic: Birth Order  (Read 7437 times)

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EFMcMullen

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Birth Order
« on: Jun 05, 2016, 05:32 pm »
From a conversation in my green room... I feel like this has been done before, but I couldn't find it. 

Michelle R. Wood

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Re: Birth Order
« Reply #1 on: Jun 05, 2016, 10:33 pm »
My mother often says she knew I'd find a career telling people what to do (bossy oldest child that I am).
"Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration." -- Thomas Edison (Harper's Magazine, 1932)

Beatr79

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Re: Birth Order
« Reply #2 on: Jun 05, 2016, 11:28 pm »
I'm #4 out of 5 children.  In childhood, I was able to create chaos for myself out of the disorder of a large family...and learned how to go with the flow (because I had no other choice)...all life lessons I've carried with me from day-to-day in theatre.

These days, the family relies on my organizational tendencies, even when I'd prefer they didn't (for example: when I arrive (from show call) for a huge Thanksgiving dinner, and no one has figured out the seating yet...)

dallas10086

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Re: Birth Order
« Reply #3 on: Jun 10, 2016, 01:04 pm »
I started as the oldest but wound up the middle child in a blended family. #therapyneeded

PSMKay

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Re: Birth Order
« Reply #4 on: Jun 10, 2016, 04:04 pm »
I'm an only child, complete with peculiar priorities, social awkwardness and a complete inability to deal with children.

smejs

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Re: Birth Order
« Reply #5 on: Jun 10, 2016, 07:13 pm »
Ha. Ditto what Kay said, from one of the other two only children who've voted so far...

Erin

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Re: Birth Order
« Reply #6 on: Jun 11, 2016, 02:25 pm »
::looks at the graph::

Wow. That is not exactly within expected standard deviation... I know it's a small sample size, but really!
Jessica: "Of course I have a metric size 4 dinglehopper in my kit!  Who do you think I am?"

KMC

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Re: Birth Order
« Reply #7 on: Jun 12, 2016, 05:00 am »
Oldest here... I guess we're a bossy bunch? :o
Get action. Do things; be sane; don’t fritter away your time; create, act, take a place wherever you are and be somebody; get action. -T. Roosevelt

MatthewShiner

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Re: Birth Order
« Reply #8 on: Jun 15, 2016, 01:24 am »
I am odd . . .

Oldest child raised at home.

At 30, I met my older brother . . .

But still identify as a the oldest.
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Anything posted here as in my own personal opinion, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of my employer - whomever they be at a given moment in time.

megf

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Re: Birth Order
« Reply #9 on: Aug 17, 2016, 12:09 pm »
What is most striking to my eye -- which Kay and Erin hit on, as well -- is that an overwhelming majority of respondents have siblings. Where we fit re: birth order is also interesting, but... Siblinghood is something I have noticed in other parts of theater, performing arts in general, and arts/culture-related jobs. In my graduate program, we realized that in a cohort of around 30-40 students, all but 5 had siblings. One of the first responses to this data was "Oh, of course -- because you always had to share resources!"

Yeah? Nay? I'd love to hear your thoughts.


KMC

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Re: Birth Order
« Reply #10 on: Aug 17, 2016, 09:50 pm »
I'd theorize it may be simpler than sharing resources. It may be that kids with siblings are socializing at earlier ages and more often than only children. Obviously, the theatre tends to require a more outgoing personality.
Get action. Do things; be sane; don’t fritter away your time; create, act, take a place wherever you are and be somebody; get action. -T. Roosevelt

PSMKay

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Re: Birth Order
« Reply #11 on: Aug 18, 2016, 03:37 am »
I think the number of only children is on par with normal family sizes. These days about a quarter of all families have one child, but that percentage has been rising rapidly. I know when I was in school I was the only "only" in my class. Chances are you have a sibling if you've been born anywhere except for East Asia.

DeeCap

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Re: Birth Order
« Reply #12 on: Aug 25, 2016, 12:41 pm »
I'm the youngest by 4 minutes. Fraternal twin, who let the other twin speak for me for the first four years of my life....

 

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