1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th...

Birth order has always fascinated me. In fact, I like to try to guess where a person falls in their family after spending some time with them. To me, the first borns seem more reserved, ready to take on responsibility. The middle children can be a bit unsure of themselves but eager to please. And the baby of the family is used to attention, wants more and is usually fun and maybe a little bit wild.

I also think gender plays a part in the birth order status. If you have 7 boys then yes, the middle boys will typically act more like the stereotype. But if your middle child is a girl surrounded by brothers, she'd going to stand out on her own just on the fact she's the only girl.

My kids fall into some of the birth order traits. My oldest son Zach is book smart, takes criticism a little too much to heart, and can be bossy. Next up are my twins (identical girls) and by 3 minutes, Ally is considered the middle child of my 5. But because they are twins, they receive a lot of attention, more like the baby of the family would.

If any one could get lost in the shuffle it would be my second son, 4th in birth order. There's already a boy in the family so he's not the first and he doesn't have the coveted roll of the baby. But Kyle has so much personality (both good and bad), he's hard to miss, you know he's here!

And then the baby. My youngest daughter is such the baby of the family. We do spoil her a bit and I can now see how the youngest can be that way. I know I didn't coddle my other children at 4 years old like I do her, there was always another younger child that needed my attention more when they were that age. As the baby, she doesn't have another person to push her out of that spot. And yet while she is spoiled in some ways, she's easily frustrated by not being able to keep up with her older siblings. She can't ride her bike down the street like her nine year old brother and when Kyle goes off to kindergarten in the fall, she'll be the last at home.

Me? I'm the oldest. And so is my husband. I like this position in the family, the first to do things, the one my siblings look up to (I think they do, hehe). Or maybe they'd just say I'm being bossy. It goes with the territory!

Katie Fleck is a stay at home mom of five, Zach (9 years), Emily and Ally (8 year old identical twins), Kyle (5 years), and Kelly (4 years old). On a quest for a self cleaning house and 27 hour days, she writes at Ramblings of a SAHM