JPF Home Page Forums Musician Gear and Techniques Music Theory and Education Sibling Placement, Personality and Improvisation:

Regardless of whether or not these studies reflect the truth, as the youngest of 6 kids, I can offer one theory:

Parents are usually more controlling with their first child--everything is done "by the book", the blanket with one molecule of spit-up on it is promptly replaced with a clean one, bottles are properly sterilized, etc.

But you just KNOW that by the time old No. 6 comes around, there's so much chaos in the house, that those rigid ways of child-rearing fall by the wayside.

Latter children just naturally learn to be adaptable and flexible in order to survive. Survival skills necessitate creative thinking (i.e., how can the smallest member of the family get a share of the meat and potatoes being snapped up by the older siblings before they're all gone?, etc.)

Just a theory...

With my tongue planted firmly in cheek and "going with the flow"--

-- Diana

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