I BORN
First borns are natural leaders. They frequently live with a sense of entitle-
ment and even superiority. However, they often come in two "flavors": com-
pliant nurturers / caregivers or aggressive movers and shakers. As a rule,'
first borns are picky, precise people. Their attention to detail and order •
explains why accountants are overwhelmingly first borns- they love paying
attention to small details. If you marry a first born, you're going to marry
someone who is likely to succeed vocationally, but you're going to have
some challenges in your relationship with them. First borns like to take
charge. They are goal oriented, want complete control, and need to earn
their keeps. They also have a strong desire to win. On the negative side,
first borns are often moody and occasionally lack sensitivity. They can be
intimidating, particularly by pushing people too hard or refusing to take no
for an answer. They tend to be bossy, flaw pickers, and conscientious to a
fault.
MIDDL
ORte
Middle borns are the most difficult group to categorize, in part because they
get grouped together in uncommon situations. The key to understanding
middles then is to think "rebound." To avoid conflict and direct competition,
a middle child will often go off in a sharply opposite direction from the child
(or children) above him. The "classic" middle born (if there is such a thing)
is very relational, tends to be a people pleaser, and usually hates confronta-
tion. Middle borns are normally good team players, reliable, steady, and
loyal. Middles aren't as comfortable making decisions as are first borns.
One of the interesting paradoxes about middle borns is that while they tend
to be mediators and negotiators, of all the birth orders they are usually the
most secretive, keeping things to themselves. On the positive side, middle
borns are usually very calm. They are skilled at seeing both sides of a
problem and eager to make everybody happy. On the negative side, middle
borns have a difficult time setting boundaries. They tend to blame them-
selves when others fail.
BORN
The typical last born's creed is "What, me worry?" They have spent their
entire lives trying to draw attention to themselves. They are often the per-
formers, the class clowns, the life of the party. Because last borns are
always learning to do for the first time what their older siblings have already
accomplished, they have a drive to be noticed and thus can be very good at
persevering. Last borns often choose people-oriented jobs. If you're a last
born, you're probably one of the world's cheerleaders. In all likelihood, you
are probably a generally cheerful person. You're an extrovert, energized by
the presence of other people, and you're probably not afraid to take a risk
now and then. On the downside, last borns tend to get bored rather quickly.
They have a strong fear of rejection and a short attention span. Because of
their people skills, last borns can be pretty good manipulators. The last
born's "lovable" exterior can unfortunately sometimes descend into a
moody, mean, and aggressive temperament.
NCI
The best yay to describe only children is to take a first born and multiply
him by two. In many ways only borns are extremely similar to first borns, but
they take these traits to an extreme. Not only are they leaders, but they
tend to be super perfectionists. Only children also live with a staunch sense
of entitlement. If you marry an only child, keep in mind that you're marrying
someone who has never had to share toys with siblings, compete for atten-
tion from her parents, and has always had center stage. More than likely,
your typical only child is a list maker, a scholar, and thrives on logic. Only
children also tend to be very conservative. With people, only borns may be
introverted. Only children are the mega-movers of the world. They are task
oriented, tend to be extremely well organized, very conscientious, and
ultimately dependable. Only children negatives can be tough to handle,
martially speaking. They are often unforgiving, very demanding, hate to
admit they're wrong, and usually don't accept criticism well.