Steps and Stairs

Do you think that grown-up children retain or cast off the fact of their place in the family order?

I got to thinking about this today when I was looking at some old photographs of our family. I’m the youngest of three and  I must say I still tend to see myself as ‘the baby’ in lots of ways.

The Three of Us
Photo: Frank Tubridy

I’ve no concept of what it would be like to be the eldest or in the middle or indeed one of a large family.

Given that we have just one ‘child,’ I’ve come to learn a fair bit about ‘only’ children.

When I say about feeling like the eternal ‘baby,’ I find that quite reassuring and like the security of knowing that the others are there ‘looking out’ for me. I also think that being the youngest may have been a factor in the closeness of my relationship with my parents as I was the last to fly the nest and was an ‘only’ child for quite a few years while the other two were away at school and college.

I’d love to hear your perspectives on this.