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Serena Williams On Sibling Rivalry, Apologies
Is Birth Order A "Self-Fulfilling Prophecy"?
Does Birth Order Really Matter?
Having A Sister Makes You Happier And More Well Adjusted
"Bow To The Stereotypes" In Caring For Your Parents, Says NYT Blogger
The Secret Lives Of Women: Should Marriage Be A Family Affair?

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Rooo sez BISH PLZ
09/23/09

In reply to Serena Williams On Sibling Rivalry, Apologies
Serena apologized twice at her post-doubles championship press conference and was fined $10K.

Roger was fined $1500 for swearing at the chair umpire during his championship final, but never apologized.
(Also, his "outburst" was not brought up again -- particularly in light of his assisting the Swiss team in sweeping to victory over the Italian team in the Davis Cup this weekend.)

Jimmy Connors was not fined for his 5-minute rant at the chair umpire in the 1991 USO the weekend of his 40th birthday.

So hopefully we can all get over it now and celebrate the sisters' relationship and their great tennis (although more core work may be in order if they want to beat Kim Clijsters again now that she's back on the pro tour).
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topsy
09/23/09

In reply to Serena Williams On Sibling Rivalry, Apologies
The Williams sisters are a shining example in the world of sports. They both have such good heads on their shoulders and consistently show grace under pressure. What happened at the US Open was a freak incident; worse behaviour has been displayed and TOLERATED. The media went out of their way to paint their father as a buffoon but unlike many other tennis parents he was never abusive or took advantage of his daughters emotionally or financially. The proof is in the pudding and I am euphoric that the Williams family is having the last laugh.
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andBegorrah
09/23/09

In reply to Serena Williams On Sibling Rivalry, Apologies
"I swear to God, I'm fucking taking this love and support and I'm shoving it in your fucking heart."
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tailfeather
09/23/09

@andBegorrah: "I didn't threaten to KISS you! Are you serious!?"
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dreamweave
09/23/09

In reply to Serena Williams On Sibling Rivalry, Apologies
Serena deserves a damn trophy for not backhanding a ball into the faces of those assholes at Indian Wells.
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sequined
09/08/09

In reply to Is Birth Order A "Self-Fulfilling Prophecy"?
My parents were both the youngest of three, and my dad at least definitely felt like the least favorite and had a chip on his shoulder about it. My mom's older brother had been a total golden child, and her sister still is the absolute perfect daughter, so they had similar family dynamics.

As a result (I think), my parents have both always been super sensitive about my younger sister never feeling "left out" or "overlooked."

I don't think her being the youngest affects her personality much, but I do think it affects how my parents interact with her.
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LaMorenita
09/08/09

In reply to Is Birth Order A "Self-Fulfilling Prophecy"?
I did a group study in college about birth order and feelings of anxiety about going to college. we found that first-borns DO experience greater anxiety, but that the relation was completely explained (at least statistically) by parental anxiety about their first-born children going to college. So, kids were more anxious because their parents were anxious about them! Despite our hypotheses, I personally didn't expect to find any differences. cool eh?
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sequined
09/08/09

@una.perra.andaluza: I wonder too if older kids have more anxiety because they haven't just watched someone else do it.

I am an oldest and wasn't nervous about college, but I remember being super clueless about high school dances because I had never had an older sibling around to observe.

And with driving, another typically-angst-producing milestone, my parents were so stressed about teaching me to drive, and comparatively mellow about my sister. Because they'd already done it and no one had died and things were fine.
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LaMorenita
09/08/09

@sequined: that was how we explained our findings! both for the students and parents.
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sympathyforthebasementcat
09/08/09

In reply to Is Birth Order A "Self-Fulfilling Prophecy"?
I think it's funny that you use this picture because I come from a large family (not Duggar large though), and as such, birth order conversations seem irrelevant. I've been the youngest, the middle, the relatively oldest. So I've had no prophesy to self-fulfill.
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Anna N.
09/08/09

@sympathyforthebasementcat: It makes sense that family dynamics would be totally different in very large families -- I've heard people with a lot of sibs talk about dividing naturally into groups of "older" and "younger" kids, things like that.
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Everything MidnightBikeRide does is a balloon.
09/08/09

In reply to Is Birth Order A "Self-Fulfilling Prophecy"?
That picture + this topic is cracking me up-- "what typical 17th child behavior!"

But seriously, in my own personal, anecdotal experience, I've found that my social group skews really heavily towards first and only children. It probably doesn't mean much, but it happens often enough that I notice it.
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LaFemme
09/08/09

@Everything MidnightBikeRide does is a balloon.: Me too. I have maybe 2 friends that are not oldest children, and everyone I have ever dated has been an oldest or an only.
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Anna N.
09/08/09

@Everything MidnightBikeRide does is a balloon.: I'm the older of two, and I used to always gravitate toward oldest or only children. I notice that happening less as I get older though, actually.
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sportz.star
09/08/09

In reply to Is Birth Order A "Self-Fulfilling Prophecy"?
I had a professor who loved the studies of birth order and prided himself on guessing the birth order of his students based on their classroom/school personalities. He was crushed to learned that I was not an oldest, but a middle, disabusing him of numerous stereotypes and suppositions simply by being me.
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WaltzingMatilda
09/08/09

In reply to Is Birth Order A "Self-Fulfilling Prophecy"?
My middle born little brother knows his place: born after "Whatsherface" and before "Thatone." Everyone knows where they stand.

The joys of having a mother who can't keep anyone's name straight.
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Everything MidnightBikeRide does is a balloon.
09/08/09

@WaltzingMatilda: My dad's classic line was "uhhh...you. You know your name."
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thesciencegirl
09/08/09

In reply to Is Birth Order A "Self-Fulfilling Prophecy"?
I'm a middle child. My mother regularly said to me as a kid/teen, "We give you less attention because you need it less." I don't know which came first: the lack of attention or my independence.
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EdnasEdibles
09/08/09

@thesciencegirl: I'm a middle child too and that sums me up pretty well. For years at family funerals and weddings I was convinced my actual name was "Oh you have a second daughter? I didn't know that!"
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Penny
09/08/09

In reply to Is Birth Order A "Self-Fulfilling Prophecy"?
I was under the impression that this was the case. I mean, it's pretty silly to assume traits tied up with birth order are innate, isn't it? I am reminded of one of the articles about women's rights from the NYT a few weeks back. It spoke about how, in countries where males are valued over females, being born as the first female is far less dangerous than being the second, as the second is kind of looked at like a "last hope" for a male.
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momentsofabsurdity
07/07/09

In reply to Does Birth Order Really Matter?
This is definitely true for my family. I am probably the most naturally smart/able to skate by, while my middle sister, who is far more diligent and hardworking, often performs better because she's willing to put in the effort. My younger sister has a lot of issues with book smarts, but she is WAY more popular than either of us ever were. She's one of the mean kids in middle school, while I was one of the ones who got picked on, or at least, ignored.

I remember realizing in middle school that almost ALL of the "popular" kids had an older sibling. I'm not sure why -- I hope I've been there for my sister to advise her against disastrous outfits and makeup in ways no one did for me, etc., but it is interesting to think about.
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stoprobbers
07/07/09

In reply to Does Birth Order Really Matter?
The oldest is always the best. I should know, because I am one.
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lalaland13
07/07/09

In reply to Does Birth Order Really Matter?
Pretty much everyone in my family has some form of depression or anxiety. I got treatment, my brother refused. I finished college, but he, despite his full ride, did not. I don't know how that happened. My dad even told me once he always thought I'd have "more trouble" in school. Thanks, Dad.
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