Baby, Middle, Big

[Aliantha]

My parents had three kids. My older brother died when he was five, then there was me, and then my younger brother.

I've always been the fuck up of our family. Not dumb, but just never seemed to make the right choices, especially when I was younger. My younger brother is a qualified medical professional who is currently making a killing (to the tune of 30k/month) on the stockmarket and has the big house and all the toys and investments. He's the golden child for sure, except he and his wife can't concieve a child and he's pretty screwed up emotionally. We're not mates, but we love each other and spend time together as much as possible with our vastly different lifestyles.

I don't know if birth order has anything to do with that, but I think we're both blessed in our own ways. We have different priorities and world views and always have. Probably always will. Makes for some interesting dinner table convos anyway.

eta: I should add that my brother has always been concerned about what people think about him and has measured his success in financial terms. I on the other hand have always considered my inter personal relationships to be a marker of my successes. I guess that's where our differences spring from, because I really don't give a crap about status symbols. As long as I can feed, clothe and shelter my family I'm happy.