Sibling Rivalry

If you have siblings you know what it is, those fierce fights for supremacy in all shared interests.  Brotherhood is like a primordial food chain–you want to be on top.  Basketball, soccer, wrestling, best-paying summer jobs, prettiest girl friend–you name it, if there’s a shared interest there’s usually a competition.  Of course it doesn’t HAVE to be like that, and in all likelyhood such a paradigm isn’t very healthy.  I think in many respects I’ve grown out of such competition–I’m too good for it…

Of course, I can’t say that a satisfied smile failed to cross my face when I heard that what I had guessed at all along has actually been established as objective scientific truth, that is, completely irrefutable gospel:

Firstborn children are the cleverest.

The eldest children in families tend to develop higher I.Q.’s than their siblings, researchers are reporting today, in a large study that could settle more than a half-century of scientific debate about the relationship between I.Q. and birth order

Now, you ought to know, I do love my brothers. I just have to admit it’s a little hard not to be a little smug right now; though I’m sure I’ll quickly regain my subdued modesty, after all, I know better.

PS.  I can still dunk over all y’all–watch out!