I should add, too, that grandparents are learning along the road as well. Guide us gently, too. We will make mistakes about spoiling or not doing enough for your kids along the road in trying to be the perfect grandparent and perfect parent (for we will always be parents). We wanted you to be who you are, and we most likely helped you get there in our 'OK' or imperfect ways. We attempted to not to make you fit a mold. I don't s'pose we want to fit in a mold. Parenting and grandparenting is an ongoing learning experience. Oh how lucky we are to have such delimas of wondering if we are doing it right. Thanks to each other and to professionals like Dr. Bromfield and others, we can find what works for each of us. Then we just need to have confidence!

Funny thing probably is that your parents were in the learning process of parenting, and were probably finding out what worked and what didn't work as they parented thru time. They were learning that what they initially worried about with #1 wasn't such a worry, and so on. Their amount of time was changing. Their income was rising. They were learning that they couldn't be perfect like THEY thought they should be. I can see that even in the generation before me...my dad was #3 out of 10 (he is 87 now). No time for play, money earned was for family not self/fun, playing cards was a sin versus #8,9 & 10 who had time to play, kept work $, and playing cards was family fun! I see it as I look back at raising my own 3, and I see my own children trying their best to do what is right, and trying to be the perfect parents. Most parents are trying to do the best job they can with what they know at the time.

No, I get that. I have a brother who is 13 months younger than I am. Then my baby brothers are 7 and 8 years younger than myself. It was a different world! And, they had all the fun toys!

My situation is that my four siblings were all raised in a different decade. They are close in age, then there's a gap of 8 years before I came along. Different worlds.

As the oldest child, I laughed and instantly thought of my baby brothers. Ha!

I don't think my younger sister was spoiled, though she did get away with more, but we both think our much younger brother was spoiled rotten! For example, he grew up with a TV in his room, and she and I were allowed one TV show per day, in the living room where the one family TV was! LOL

As the oldest, I say, yes, the youngest ones do get spoiled!! LOL! And there is a huge gap between myself and my two younger sisters. I know some of it is society changes - my sisters were getting Coach purses in high school. I dont' think my mom even bought me a purse - when I was high school, stuff like that wasn't it. But it doesn't stop me from telling my sis's that they are spoiled LOL!

You may be right about that. Not surprisingly, I'm the youngest!

So funny, Kim! Don't older siblings always feel that way?!?