birth order laundry

2 friends+ a rain storm+ a slip & slide

The first few weeks of school are quite an adjustment for all of us, the kids are tired, overwhelmed and busy and I can be, frankly, bored. I miss them, I miss the bustle. I did the laundry with too much time on my hands. There are a few dangerous things about a woman with too much time on her hands, but this time it proved to be slightly amusing in a Reader's Digest kind of way.
First  born son's week worth of laundry consists of: 7 pairs of socks, 7 underwear, 7 shorts and 7 t-shirts, very organized, methodical, first child stuff.
My second born son's hamper contains shirts that I know he wore for 3 minutes, clothing from friends and neighbors , a bunch of miss matched socks, a few pair of underwear, some I am positive I did not purchase,
9 pair of shorts, and 2 sweatshirts he hasn't worn or hung up since last winter. Oh yeah, and some of the new school clothes with price tags still on them.
And my youngest son, 1 pair of underwear, 3 red shirts and 2 shorts. That's it.. I try not  to think about it.

On a serious side, birth order has great impact on all of us, how we partner up, parent, our expectations of ourselves and others. I encourage parents to read birth order books, Yes, they are generalizations, and yet so much of them pan out. I used to teach the Red Cross Babysitting Course when my boys were very young. I could, with about 90% accuracy, pick out the first born children and only children in the first 10 minutes of class. They are the ones, raising their hands, hushing the class, trying to engage with me.
I have had couples in my practice, and although they may be professional, working adults, in their relationship they both look to the other to make decisions.They get frustrated by the lack of direction, not realizing, as two last children, neither has had to take a lead. They can adjust and  quickly do, once they recognize the source of the misguided expectations. There are many variables that effect birth order, but basic knowledge of patterns can help people understand each other and ease the way for successful expectations and  more satisfying interactions.