birth ordered?

The story goes that first children are the most successful, most well-adjusted and, often, most independent of their sibling counterparts. I can't say I don't agree.
Last Wednesday evening, I was invited for the First Annual Schrenk Brothers Thanksgiving Eve Meal (boyfriend's brothers). My first-born self cohabitates and loves the baby of the Schrenk family, so I was there as the "youngest" couple. I didn't come to any ground-breaking new-to-the-world revelation that night, but I've been thinking about it since.
Always as the oldest, you are the "example" for your siblings. Typically this applies to positive, morally-challenging attitudes and actions: sharing with others, respect for the elderly, kindness, honesty, forgiveness, etc., but they watch much more than that. And they remember.
Matthew recalled a wassail incident where middle brother Jeb downed enough for a cross-eyed showing at a Christmas church event; Jeb recalled it vaguely at best. His anecdote tells me there are probably tons of little stories my sisters hold, and those probably outnumber the ones I could tell about them.
As the first, you are not only told you are the "most" of many things, but you get your parents' attention first and singularly at the prime of learning and confidence building. We are also probably - of the birth order - the most self-absorbed. It seems we do most things first ... go to high school, graduate from high school, live on our own, get jobs, graduate from college, learn to budget, drive a car ... the list is endless. So we're used to getting that family-first attention.
But last year my middle sister got hitched; in May of 2009, she'll have the first baby. Just this past Saturday night, my baby sister's boyfriend asked my father for her hand in marriage.
And while I'm very happy in my own life right now, as well as happy to pass the buck of pioneering my parents through these firsts, some emotion pulls at me when I realize I won't be the first for the last of these first-time family events.
I'll watch and I'll remember those details. I'll field the questions (and hear the whispers). I'll be humbled. And I'll always be happy for them.
After all, they did get to learn from my mistakes.