Prompts

Prompt Week 1:

I am a Leo

I am daughter

I am shy at first

I am a sister

I am unique

I am different

I am a design and merchandising major

I am a foodie

I am a shopaholic

I am a shopaholic. Shopping is one of my favorite things to do. People can shop for anything they want. My favorite thing to shop for is clothes. I love everything about clothes. I love how they look, how they fit, and how they allow you to express yourself. In my free time, I go online to my favorite websites and browse all the clothes. I start with the new items and go from there. I go on Urban Outfitters, Nordstrom’s, Free People, and Topshop the most. I don’t buy stuff every time I go online, but every once in awhile I do.

Since I am a Design and Merchandising major clothes are crucial to me. Clothes let me express myself, and I see it as a work of art. I have so many clothes that my closet at school is completely packed. I tend to save clothes until they are worn to the maximum amount. I will re-wear articles of clothing, but it is rare when I re-wear an entire outfit. I try to create new outfits by layering my clothes and accessories or wearing them with different individual pieces. There is a chance I will wear the same scarf two times in a week, but the scarf with rarely worn with the same outfit. Having a lot of clothing options allows me to express myself to the maximum. Options are always a great thing to have.

Even though I am a shopaholic, I try to be cautious about how I spend my money on clothes. When I go shopping in stores, I try to go straight towards the sale section. If I do not find anything I like in the sale section, then I will go towards the regular priced clothes. Lots of stores have sales, and this is another factor that causes me to love shopping. The great deals draw me in. But is the deal worth buying the clothes? If I purchase a lot of clothes for sale am I spending more money than if I buy one article of clothing? These questions have no definite answers; it all depends on what I buy.

As much as I love shopping for myself, I love shopping for other people as well. I love seeing their reaction if they adore the gift I bought them. What I love even more is if I bought them something they could wear, I love seeing them wear it. If I bought them something to hang up in their room, I love seeing them display it in their room. Overall, I love seeing people using gifts I get them for holidays, birthdays, or just as a nice gesture. And if a person does not like the gift I got them, I learn what kind of stuff they are not into.

I am a shopaholic. I love expressing myself to show people that clothes can be a work of art. I love finding amazing sales where I could buy lots of clothes for the price of one expensive piece of clothing. I love giving gifts and seeing people love the gifts I buy them. Shopping is one of my favorite things to do, and I love to be a “smart shopper” by using sales and only buying things I love. I am proud to call myself a shopaholic.

Prompt Week 2:

In most people’s lives, they feel like an outsider at one point. It might not be noticeable to the group, but that person could feel like an outsider. It could be at work, at school, at a club, at anywhere. The place where I felt like an outsider was at my sport. Throughout my life, I was not the best at sports. I am not the most coordinated person, and it takes me a while to complete a technique. I was very passionate about the sport I played, and I enjoyed doing it. But being in a group of people who were more coordinated than myself and were better at the sport than I was. I felt like an outsider. I felt like I didn’t belong and everyone was judging me. I felt like I did not belong, even though I enjoyed my sport.

The sport I participated in was All-Star Cheerleading. In this sport, teams are categorized by age and skill level. My skill level was not very high, but because of my age, I was categorized to be on a Junior Level 3 team. To be on a level 3 team an athlete must have a back-handspring and be able to do certain stunting skills. I had a few of the stunting skills, but I had none of the tumbling skills. Each week I was practice. I would push myself more and more each week. But each week I did not have the tumbling skill, the more I felt judged by my team. About 90% of the team had the required tumbling skill, and they have been competing since they were very young. I was different because I did not start when I was young. I started just a year before. Since I started later, it caused my skills not to be as developed as the other girls.

Even though I wasn’t as skilled, I tried to push myself to perform as well as the other girls. The only problem was my best wasn’t enough. I would fall out of my stunts at competitions,

]and I had to hide in the back as my teammates showed their tumbling skills. After each competition, I would overhear people gossiping about what has gone wrong. I would hear my name occasionally. Being an outsider made me feel very upset. I felt like I was a disappointment to my team. They all were more skilled than I was; I felt all sorts of emotions because I could not be as skilled as they were.

I was friends with most of the girls, but once we started practice, I felt like an outsider. They would be practicing new skills each week as I was still working to catch up with them. I felt so behind. I had many negative thoughts at each practice. My coaches and teammates would try to motivate me, but it never helped. My coaches would still put me in the back of the routine, and my teammates would still gossip about me.

I felt like an outsider on my cheerleading team. I loved to cheer, but lacking the needed skills made me very upset. My teammates would judge as my coaches punished me for not having the skills. I felt like I did not help the team. I put up with being an outsider for two years. After a knee injury my third year, I fell even more behind. Because I was so behind and had to be put on a senior team because of my age, I quit the team. I was upset to stop, but I was happy not to feel like an outsider anymore.

Prompt Week 3:

I interviewed one person with the same identity as myself. I interviewed this anon person over a FaceTime call.

How many siblings do you have?

 I have three older sisters.

How is your relationship with your siblings?

 My relationship with my sisters is very close. At times, we may get in arguments, and things will be told that we don’t mean but at the end of every day we are all still very close with each other.

Have your older siblings been helpful as you grow up? If yes, how so? If no, what do you wish they did to help you as you grow up?

 Yes, they have helped me tremendously. It's mainly been the oldest one. With her being older than me, she’s seen and experienced more than I have. They all have pointed me in the right direction and made the mistakes before me so I wouldn't have to now. The youngest one is easiest to talk to since she is closest to my age and understands me a bit more.

Were your older siblings’ protective of you since you are the “baby” of the family? Can you name a time where this has occurred? If this hasn’t happened, do you wish they were more protective?

 At a younger age, they used to be very protective of me. I was the little baby in the family, so they always had an eye for me and made sure I was staying out of trouble. Nowadays, now that I’m older they’ve cut me a lot slacker. Deep down, I think they’re still as protective as they were when I was younger even though it doesn't show as much. As for a particular time, I don’t think I could pinpoint one time since they’ve been protecting time at all times.

Do your parents give you special treatment since you are the youngest? How so?

 I would like to think so. They are more lenient with me and tend to have a longer leash with me. I get my way with them more often than my sisters do and they are a lot easier on me with punishments.

Has there ever been a time where your older siblings mistreated you?

 No, for the most part, they have always treated me fairly.

What is the most valuable thing you learned from your older siblings as you watch them grow up before you do?

 I couldn’t pick out a single thing. Overall, they’ve just made my life easier by paving an easier road for me. They’ve all been through what I’m going through now so whenever I need am I need of help or have a question, I can always rely on them.

Since you are the youngest, do you think you will always be treated as the “baby” of the family?

Yes, no matter how old I get I will never not be the baby. At 18, I am still the baby and get the

most attention.

What do you think it would be like if you weren’t the youngest?

 It would be very different. I would have to change my attitude around the house because I would then have the lead by example and be the role model for my younger sibling.

Overall, do you enjoy being the youngest? Is there ever a time where you wish you weren’t the youngest or an only child?

 Yes, with the sisters I have I can't complain. I have always wondered what it would be like if I weren't, but I still don't think I would ever wish it was different.

Prompt Week 4:

McHale, Susan M., Kimberly A. Updegraff, and Shawn D. Whiteman. "Sibling Relationships and Influences in Childhood and Adolescence." Journal of Marriage and Family 74.5 (2012): 913-30. ProQuest. Web. 2 Feb. 2016.

“We also know that siblings can have direct effects on one another's development when they serve as social partners, role models, and foils and that siblings can influence one another indirectly by virtue of their impact on larger family dynamics - such as by serving as building blocks of the family structure, holding a favored family niche, or diluting family resources (McHaIe, Kim, & Whiteman, 2006)”

“...also highlighted birth order effects but targeted social and psychological processes, such as firstborns' dethronement and parents' tendency to overindulge younger siblings, to explain birth order differences in siblings' personality and psychological adjustment”

“Typically, parents are trained to address young children's sibling relationship problems.”

“As a result, younger siblings may become sexually involved at an earlier age.”

“East (1998) argued that teenage childbearing by an older sister may increase the chances of a younger sister also becoming a teen parent when mothers come to believe that they are unable to control their daughters' sexual activities and give up on parenting efforts toward other daughters.”

“As Adler argued, children indirectly shape their brothers' and sisters' characteristics and behaviors by serving as sources of social comparison, and from a very young age they attend to the ways in which their parents treat them relative to their siblings (Ansbacher & Ansbacher, 1956).”

Cundiff, Patrick R. "Ordered Delinquency: The “Effects” of Birth Order on Delinquency." Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 39.8 (2013): 1017-29. Web.

“As I review in more detail below, birth order theory, as proposed by Adler (1928), suggests a curvilinear relationship in which firstborns or single children1 would score the lowest on a delinquency scale, middleborns would score the highest, and the youngest children should score somewhere between firstborns and middleborns.”

“Moreover, the younger child thrives in his or her ordinal position as desires and ambitions are nurtured and cultivated by the parents.”

“Nevertheless, the younger child is not without trials as he or she is constantly in competition with a larger and more intelligent rival.”

“The third child receives similar treatment to the second child, but the youngest child is generally more apt to overcome the competition between siblings and to establish his or her importance in the family.”

“The youngest child typically is recognized as the baby of the family regardless of maturation, and this role is both advantageous and disadvantageous.”

“While the youngest child is characterized as more extroverted than older siblings, youngest children generally tend to have low acceptance of responsibility.”

“Using a sample of youth from Israel, Rahav (1980) found a curvilinear relationship between ordinal position and delinquency rates in which middle children scored the highest and oldest and youngest children scored lower.”

“Finally, research by Widmer (1997); Slomkowski, Rende, Conger, Simons, and Conger (2001); and Conger, Heylen, Slomkowski, and Rende (2003) suggests that older siblings are influential in shaping the behaviors and norms adopted by younger siblings”

Schipani, Denise. "How Does Birth Order Affect Relationships?" Woman's Day. Hearst Communications, 28 May 2010. Web. 02 Feb. 2016.

“Beloved, treasured, and in many cases babied for much longer than their older siblings (and often by their older siblings), the stereotypical youngest of the brood tends to be less responsible and more devil-may-care, with less of a hankering to take charge.”

“"That can be different if the baby of the family came after a gap of more than a few years, though," says Dr. Salmon. In that case, the baby of the family may act more like an only child or an older sibling—as though the family had started all over again.”

“The youngest child is cared for, while the older sibling can exert control.”

““The baby of the family tends to be the type who needs attention; the firstborn, who was alone for a while in the family, doesn't need to seek attention, because he or she usually got it," says Dr. Salmon.”

Prompt Week 5: Finish rough draft of paper.

Prompt Week 6:

/

You approach me and start a conversation. The conversation flows along; questions are being asked. Not too personal, but not too ordinary. Just perfect. Family comes up, and you find out my place in birth order. Stereotypes are running through your head.

“So you’re the baby, you must get special treatment, you must be so innocent, you must get bullied by your siblings, you, you, you…” ... “Are the rumors true? Are you these things?”

More questions are being asked, but now it is the questions about the stereotypical youngest child. The questions aren’t asked exactly like that, but that is what appears they are trying to ask. Just because something happens that a person can’t control, they begin to get judged. Being thought of as spoiled, immature, lazy, and more.

You can’t help my birth order; you can’t help who you are. Why are there so many negatives just to birth order. No matter what spot in the birth order you are in, some stereotypes go along with it. But are these stereotypes accurate? Does every person who is the youngest child act the same?

No.

/

People should be proud of they are and when they were born. People should break the stereotypes. Why do we have to act one way just because society says we should?

We are the youngest, but it doesn’t mean we’re spoiled.

We work for what we get; we don’t get special treatment.

Spending all summer working in a crowded market just to pay for nice things that aren’t given because of “special treatment”.

We are treated as equal as our other siblings.

/

People should be proud of they are and when they were born. People should break the stereotypes. As we get older, we learn more from my siblings.

We act our age, but sometimes we act younger to have fun. This doesn’t make us immature. Sometimes we act older to be sophisticated. This doesn’t make us too mature. We live and we learn, and our siblings are a prime example.

Watching them make mistakes, watching them fail a few times just to succeed even more. It’s a lesson to be learned. We make mistakes, and our siblings watch us fail a few times just to achieve even more. It’s a lesson to be learned. We learn from each other. We don’t act our ages at times, but who says that makes us less mature.

/

People should be proud of they are and when they were born. People should break the stereotypes. Just because someone is the youngest doesn’t mean they are lazy.

The special treatment stereotype is the most used, and worse, the stereotype of them all. They acknowledge many negative traits that aren’t accurate. Starting with spoiled, and now going to lazy.

Back to working all summer long.

Getting up at 5 am and getting off at three p.m. Working all day long, trying to make customers happy. How can someone be lazy when they work all day long?

Spending time at school, staying up all night doing design projects, working all week on English essays; how can someone be lazy when they work all week long?

Trying to be healthy by picking what is good to eat. Working out and trying to get your life together. Making the right choices so you won’t get in trouble. How can someone be lazy when they work all year long?

Helping people out, making sure you put others before yourself. Impressing people, making sure people are doing well. Helping family, friends, peers, and more. How can someone be lazy when they are helpful all life long?

/

Just because someone is the youngest, doesn’t mean they are spoiled, immature, or lazy. These are stereotypes placed on the youngest child. But the youngest child isn’t the only one judged, no matter what birth order you are in, you are judged. Everyone is being judged. This is what happens in society nowadays, but who said we had to follow what everyone in society is doing?

Break free. Break Free from the stereotypes that people assume you are and be who you want to be. Don’t let stereotypes define who you are, especially if who you are wasn’t who you choose to be.

Embrace yourself, don’t let people tell you who you are.

The conversation ends, with you convincing the person judging that you are none of those things. You are who you want to be.

/

Prompt Week 7:

Paragraph 1: My first paragraph is my introductory paragraph. Its primary purpose is to introduce my identity and a few stereotypes that go along with them. I will include what will be the main topics of my paper.

Paragraph 2: Research will be the start of this essay. I will write about sibling relationships and how siblings get along with the youngest child.

Paragraph 3: This paragraph will be based on an interview. I will use the interview question based off of sibling relationship to show how they break the stereotype. I will also include what the most valuable thing they learned from their sibling was.

Paragraph 4: I will write a short personal narrative about my sibling’s and mine relationship. I will also talk about what I learn from my siblings. In this paragraph, I will also begin to introduce the next topic.

Paragraph 5: This will be another personal narrative. I will begin to talk about experiences I had while dealing with being the “baby” of the family. I will mix some research in with this part of the essay.

Paragraph 6: I will use the interview again to begin to talk about how the interviewee got treated like the baby.

Paragraph 7: This paragraph will be a lot of research. I will talk about how the youngest child rebels and doesn’t act like the baby at times.

Paragraph 8: This paragraph will also be about research. It will reflect on how the parents get used to parenting, the check in less and less of their child.

Paragraph 9: This paragraph will be a person narrative on how parent’s give special treatment even though they are used to parenting. The interview will be included.

Paragraph 10: This will be the conclusion. I will wrap up all the major topics and explain how I am proud of my identity and how I break all the stereotypes.

I worked very hard on my first draft, but I made some research mistakes that I plan to fix on my final draft. I plan on finding a bit more research and focusing on the information I find. I will also add in more personal stories from myself and my interviewee. I will also add more evidence to my examples and the research I found.  I will cut out the mistakes I made without realizing. The grammar errors and the research mistakes. I will make sure everything flows. With the research, I find I will think of stories based on my personal experience that go along with the research. With the interview, I will show how I relate to the same situations, and how the research I find refers to the same situation. My first draft wasn’t my best because I was not used to writing a non-argumentative essay. Now that I see my mistakes and how to fix everything I am ready to start working on my final draft.

Prompt Week 8:

With my paper, I have a lot to fix. I wasn’t able to fix all the mistakes due to the amount that was needed to be fixed and added. I was able to edit a few of the paragraphs that needed fixing, and I gathered more sources. The first paragraph is the introduction to the second section talks more about media examples. The third paragraph is research, and the fourth paragraph is interview/personal narrative.

Bowman, Sabienna. "7 Times Michelle Tanner From 'Full House' Defined What It Means To Be The Little Sister." Bustle. N.p., 27 Apr. 2015. Web. 01 Mar. 2016.

“She taught me how to make my cuteness work as long as it lasted, how to turn guilting my older siblings into playing with me into an art form, and how to deal with the less desirable parts of being the baby of the family... like forever being referred to as the baby of the family.”

“That time Michelle convinced Uncle Jesse and Rebecca to remain in the Tanner house after they got married. Michelle's machinations were heartwarming because she was young and cute and had an extra special bond with Jesse.”

“So when Michelle started copying Stephanie's every move in the Season 4 episode "Good News, Bad News," it may have been part of a game — but for little sisters, copying our older siblings when we are kids is actually part of a lifestyle.”

Loop, Erica. "List of Examples of Older Siblings Being Positive Role Models." Everyday Life. Demand Media, n.d. Web. 01 Mar. 2016.

“Unlike parents who may try to teach kids about social graces or acting politely, an older sibling can show her little brother or sister how to interact with other children at school or in other similar types of social situations.”

“This type of positive role modeling can go on into the teen and even adult years, with younger siblings watching their older brothers and sisters for cues on how to act in situations that range from the high school homecoming dance to a night out at a dance club with friends.”

“From children to adults, imitating a positive older role model offers introductions to new experiences and provides a guideline to follow. “

Natalie Fisher

Dr. Kirsten Kaschock

English 102

March 1, 2016

Life as the Youngest Child

 After watching shows on TV and movies that involve families, it seems that the youngest is known for being the “baby” of the family and gets special treatment from the parents or even older siblings. This can be an act of trouble or an act of courage. Some media examples that show examples of this are Full House when Michelle uses her cuteness to get away with anything or even when Katniss volunteers for Primerose in The Hunger Games because she wants to protect her little sister. These stereotypes can be true at times; it shouldn’t be what the youngest child is known for. This shouldn’t be the way the youngest child is being judged.  Being the youngest child is more than being the “baby” of the family, fighting with the older siblings, and getting special treatment. It is about learning from your older siblings, following their footprints where they succeed and changing paths where they make mistakes. It is about rebelling from the “baby” title and doing things your way. Parents can treat you like the baby and give you special treatment; at other times, they let you get away with things because they are used to parenting and not scared anymore. I am the youngest, and I have met other youngest children who break the stereotypes.

 Some rumors and shows indicate that siblings do not get along. In 27 Dresses the movie focuses on the sibling rivalry where the oldest sister is jealous of the younger sister for getting farther in life. As well as media, I have heard people I know talk about how they fight with their siblings a large amount of the time. They do not get along unless they take the time to resolve their issues. In reality, not all siblings fight all the time. Sometimes they fight, but not 24/7. Full House is a great example of this. In the show, the sisters will fight, but in the end, they always are there to each other. Michelle has her two older sister who she looks up to. There was an episode where Stephanie began to notice how much Michelle copied her. But that was Michelle’s way of showing Stephanie that she is her role model. “So when Michelle started copying Stephanie's every move in the Season 4 episode "Good News, Bad News," it may have been part of a game — but for little sisters, copying our older siblings when we are kids is actually part of a lifestyle” (Bowman). When younger siblings copy their older siblings, it means the older sibling is probably doing something right. Younger siblings look up to their older siblings for guidance or because they inspire to be like them. I know I am like this with my sisters.

I have done some research and figured out I am not the only one who, most of the time, gets along with my siblings. I came upon an article by Erica Loop, who has her Master of Science in applied developmental psychology from the University of Pittsburgh's School of Education. She has been writing articles about child development and parenting since 2009. She has a lot to say about how older siblings are the inspiration for younger siblings.  “Unlike parents who may try to teach kids about social graces or acting politely, an older sibling can show her little brother or sister how to interact with other children at school or in other similar types of social situations” (Loop).  Siblings can be the perfect role models because they understand what their younger sibling is going through. Even though parents have already been through it, things change throughout generations, and the older sibling can help out more. The younger sibling can watch their older sibling grow up and see what they have done well and what they have done not so well. “This type of positive role modeling can go on into the teen and even adult years, with younger siblings watching their older brothers and sisters for cues on how to act in situations that range from the high school homecoming dance to a night out at a dance club with friends” (Loop). They can watch how their siblings act and how the handle situations. The older sibling can help them with more than just how to act in social situations. They can help with school, how to do well in an interview (if the older sibling has a job), and a lot more. The older sibling can help them grow. “From children to adults, imitating a positive older role model offers introductions to new experiences and provides a guideline to follow” (Loop).  Imitating a positive role model can lead to a great relationship. My siblings are my role models. I go to them for help, and I watch carefully where the succeed. I follow their footprints they have paved for me. I am not the only one who is this grateful.

I interviewed a close friend of mine who is also the youngest. He relates to what it feels like to have siblings who act as role models and help him along the way. I asked him what it was like for him to have three older siblings; this was his response. “Overall, they’ve just made my life easier by pitching an easier road for me. They’ve all been through what I’m going through now so whenever I need am I need of help or have a question, I can always rely on them” (Arfuso). It is the best feeling when siblings can be there for you. I know for me; it has relieved a lot of stress. Knowing someone is there for me who knows exactly what to do and how to help me succeed is amazing. I am so grateful for my older siblings. But sometimes since I am the youngest, the look down on me and treat me like the baby. This is because the youngest tends to be known as the “baby of the family.”