“I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out – plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.”
Jeremiah 29:11 MSG
I am the oldest of three children. I am also the first grandchild on both sides of my family. I am the definition of “the oldest child”.
There are lots of perks that come with being the oldest. Hand-me downs don’t exist when you are the first-born. As the oldest, you get to do things first. You get the undivided attention of your parents and grandparents when you are the only one. But, there are some downers to being the oldest. You are the first one that has to learn to share – everything. You are the “learner” child: your siblings get to do things you were never allowed to do. And even though it’s nice to be the first, it also means you will be the first to fail.
The first born has only adults with which to compare himself/herself. Think about what an oldest/only child sees: Everyone around can walk without holding on or falling down. The only crawling seems to be to encourage the baby to get up. You are being watched at every moment, so you try to please. Communication is crucial and the praise received is worth the effort. A first born learns early that you don’t want to disappoint the big people.
The first born gets more attention. This is partly because the baby stuff is so new, but also because the time is spent with just this one child. Just look at photo albums or baby books. The first child will have tons of pictures and a complete baby book. Child #2 will have a few pictures and a good start on the baby book. Any other siblings will just have to make do with a few snapshots and will be grateful if a baby book was even purchased. The first born will benefit from more time being read to and being taught at home. Even when siblings are added, the oldest child will continue to benefit from the time spent learning as a group.
As soon as another sibling is added, the oldest child becomes a leader. We know how it should be done and will not hesitate to point it out to our younger siblings. We will be put in charge of our siblings and reminded that we are “older” and therefore “more responsible”. Some will call this being a natural leader. Others call it being bossy.
First born children tend to be perfectionists, leaders, good students, and teachers. We are often people pleasers that fear failing. I never tried anything that I wasn’t pretty sure I would excel at. If there was a chance that I might look silly, I did not attempt it. I was never good at roller skating, mainly because I did not want to fall. It hurt and people would laugh. My younger brother was a good skater. Granted, he was black and blue from throwing himself into the “experience.” But, he had fun and enjoyed it. I would rather spend my time with a good book or a logic puzzle.
I was always at the top of my class in school. Learning came easy to me. I wouldn’t classify myself as an overachiever, I just did what came easily. My classmates that thought I had it made. While others would be praised for getting a “B” on report cards, I had to get all “A’s and A+”. Even an “A-“wasn’t good enough. It wasn’t until I was taking college classes that I was really challenged. I had to learn to study. It was hard to accept that I might not be “the best” after all. But, it was also in college classes that I found I could enjoy learning without being the best. As a junior accounting major, I had a class under Dean of the School of Business, Dr. Lauderdale. He promised to weed out the bookkeepers from the accountants in his class. He was strict and had high expectations. Our class size dropped by 50% as the semester commenced. Before our last final, Dr. Lauderdale looked at me and said “You have a B in this class. If you ace the final or not, you have a solid B. Don’t come to the final.” I have never been so excited to be told I was a B student!
I still struggle with perfectionistic tendencies. This causes lots of anxiety in my life. I play scenes over and over in my head of how I disappoint my friends and family. There are days when I feel like I’m balancing on a pin cushion. When I am out of control or over-whelmed, I protect myself with a veil of detachment. I separate myself from those areas. If they don’t exist, they cannot hurt me, right? My husband helps me to see past the veil and to accept that I can only be the best that I can be. If someone is disappointed at my best efforts, then that’s not my problem. Hurt and disappointments are part of life. I cannot avoid them.
I still don’t like to do anything without a road map. I want to know EXACTLY what is coming before I step out. But, I’ve learned that is not always possible. But these things I know:
- I CAN make phone calls when I must. (Many of you know how much a hate to do that!)
- I CAN meet new people and get to know them without hyperventilating. (I still do better in small groups.)
- I CAN make decisions and live my life the way God leads me. (Even when others don’t agree/understand.)
- I CAN trust that others will love me. (Love isn’t earned, it’s given.)
I am the oldest of three children. I am the first grandchild on both sides of my family. And, I am a beloved child of God.
“You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
Psalm 139:13-14 NLT
and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.”
“If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.”
Matthew 6:30-33 msg
When I was in a high school Home Economics class, I was frustrated by my inability to sew a perfectly straight hem on a summer top. I had ripped out sections and resewn it over and over. I remember Mrs. Brown telling me that it was “straight enough for an active teenager.” So, I finally stopped trying. Whenever I wore that top, I would look at the bright green stitching and see the stops and starts of that hem. It was an example of my struggles to be perfect. As an adult, I worked in a building that had mirrored elevators. I never enjoyed those elevators. The light was harsh and the reflection never looked as good in those mirrors as in my home mirror. As a result, I tried not to look at the elevator reflection. I didn’t like it, so I ignored it and looked the other way.
Melissa's Musings 