As long as I have been observing my patients, the predictable behavior of the different birth orders never ceases to amaze me.
I remember one incident when two younger siblings were in the office waiting for their older siblings to complete their appointments.
We have a children’s area that among the toys are a number of stuffed animals. It was the stuffed animals that got the attentions of these two girls.
We had a few too many animals and it was time to cull the herd.
I offered the girls their choice of any animal that wanted.
The youngest picked out a Teddy Bear that looked like it had just come off the shelf.
Her older sister, a Three birth order, picked a rabbit.
The rabbit had a broken ear, stuffing was coming out of it’s side and one eye was missing.
Her sister asked her why she picked the damaged rabbit. Without hesitation she said, “I think it needs some love.”
A predictable reply for the sensitive number three who wants to save the world and sees other’s suffering.
This was the same birth order that Mother Teresa had. Her care of the poor and indigent in India is legendary.
I am Dr. Robert Hurst author of Life’s Fingerprint: How Birth Order Affects Your Path Throughout Life. I have been an Orthodontist for over 50 years and have been observing my patients from childhood to adulthood and beyond. My patients call me Dr. Bob.