I'm the youngest of three.
If you want to know what I looked like as a child, all I have to offer is a faded school photo or two. There are no known baby photos of me. Because by the time I came along, the old Brownie camera had broken, and well, no-one was really that bothered.
Unlike my sister, the oldest, who is immortalised in a studio portrait, complete with pretty blonde curl in the middle of her forehead.
Hmmmph.
I've tried not to treat my second child differently, but the truth is that we have relaxed a bit as parents and we don't take our duty quite as much to heart. The result? He's more confident, less tentative, probably because he doesn't feel as watched and judged as his brother did.
His table manners may leave something to be desired though, because we never really noticed that he eats with the fork in the wrong hand and has only a rudimentary grasp of the concept 'Don't talk with your mouth full'.
But thanks to cellphone cameras, there are more than enough pictures of him, so he'll never have to say 'Hmmmph' on that score.
Here are some sibling stories we've gathered. And we'd love to hear yours.
Siblings at odds
How I learnt to love my sisters
The two year gap. To the day.
How to deal with sibling rivalry
We also posted a forum poll on the perfect gap between siblings. It's leaning towards around three years. Come add your vote.
If you want to know what I looked like as a child, all I have to offer is a faded school photo or two. There are no known baby photos of me. Because by the time I came along, the old Brownie camera had broken, and well, no-one was really that bothered.
Unlike my sister, the oldest, who is immortalised in a studio portrait, complete with pretty blonde curl in the middle of her forehead.
Hmmmph.
I've tried not to treat my second child differently, but the truth is that we have relaxed a bit as parents and we don't take our duty quite as much to heart. The result? He's more confident, less tentative, probably because he doesn't feel as watched and judged as his brother did.
His table manners may leave something to be desired though, because we never really noticed that he eats with the fork in the wrong hand and has only a rudimentary grasp of the concept 'Don't talk with your mouth full'.
But thanks to cellphone cameras, there are more than enough pictures of him, so he'll never have to say 'Hmmmph' on that score.
Here are some sibling stories we've gathered. And we'd love to hear yours.
Siblings at odds
How I learnt to love my sisters
The two year gap. To the day.
How to deal with sibling rivalry
We also posted a forum poll on the perfect gap between siblings. It's leaning towards around three years. Come add your vote.