What's the Order: Response to Missy's Prompt

Who's the oldest of the Dooge girls? Who's the youngest again? Can you list off the order of you and your sisters again? You're the oldest right? How far apart are you guys in age? Oh, there are more of you? These are common questions one receives when you have four siblings. I'll repeat it again just for clarity of this blog post, you can follow along with the picture above: 

Danielle (22), Stephanie (20), Holly (18), Jacqueline (16), Michelle (16). 

When you line all of the Dooge's up in birth order, pieces seem to fall into place regarding how each child acts and plays a role in the functioning of the family. However, each of us strays every now and then from the stereotypical characteristics related to birth order. 

The first born. This would be Danielle. First borns are known for being reliable, structured, cautious, controlling, and achievers. Danielle is pretty reliable, she always comes through when you need her and keeps good on her promises. She is one of the most structured people I know. She has calendars and reminder post-its galore. She likes schedules and knowing specifically when things are happening. This may be a typical first born characteristic, but I also think it's because her whole life has been dance, and the world of dance runs on very strict schedules. Then again, maybe she likes dance because it is very structured. She is oh so very cautious. She like to take her time before making any sort of decision, and usually finds the cons before the pros. I don't really know about controlling, she's not a controlling person and works well with others in the family. She is definitely an achiever. She sets her standards high and won't accept anything less. While she's only 22, she has achieved a whole list of things, enough to make me look bad. 

The middle child. This would be Holly. The middle children are known to be people pleasers, rebellious, thriving on friendships, having a large social circle, and being the peacemaker. Holly tries to make everyone happy, but after a certain point doesn't really care if you're happy or not just wants a decision to be made. She is so the most rebellious Dooge daughter, and has been since day one. Her kindergarten teacher once told my mom that she was going to march to the beat of her own drum and no one was going to stop her. I'm pretty sure that teacher was psychic because to this day Holly does what she wants and won't take no for an answer. She's really persuasive that way, and really knows what buttons to push to get people to say yes. She turns on the charm some would say. I'm usually the one who falls victim to her charm the most though; I don't think I've ever successfully said no to her. Holly thrives on friendships and having a large social circle. She will start a conversation with anyone, and by the end of the conversation will be friends with them. Holly can make friends with anyone. Every time I come home she mentions somebody new, and I have to ask who they are, and she's just 'oh you know.' But at the same time, she's very particular about who she let's into her inner circle of her closest friends. In terms of being a peacemaker, this kind of describes Holly. Every now and then she will try to make peace with everyone, but there are also times where she's unhappy with you if you don't take her side. 

The last born child. Technically this is Michelle, but it's also Jacqueline because of the twin thing. The last born children are uncomplicated, manipulative, outgoing, attention-seeking, and self-centered. I would describe the twins as being uncomplicated. Their lives are pretty simple and they like it that way. The twins are for the most part outgoing, they have their shy moments but most of their moments consist of constant talking. I don't know that I would describe them as manipulative, definitely charming, but not manipulative. Being twins brings enough attention on it's own, everyone is so fascinated by that one fact. But the twins don't really go out of their way to find attention. Both are definitely not self-centered. I think that was one thing our parents tried to teach us not to be.

So I left out the second born, me. That's because we didn't talk in class about specific characteristics related to the second born. Also because I feel I am a good mix of all these. I'm the peacemaker of the children. I want everyone to be happy and will sometimes put others before myself if that means peace across the house. I'm also very reliable, uncomplicated, a people pleaser, and an achiever. 

Overall, I think the Dooge girls match up pretty well with the stereotypical characteristics related to birth order. However, there are some areas where we don't match up perfectly. But, we definitely balance each other out and would have a completely different dynamic without each other. 

All About Us: Response to Dr. Herrman's Prompt

The Dooge Family. 7 people. 5 children. 2 parents. 1 organized chaotic mess.

My family consists of many people and many moving parts. This is one of the reasons I refer to us as an organized mess. But, before I can better explain this metaphor, I need to introduce you to my family. 

First we have my parents, Gregg and Tammy. They have been married for 23 years and are the G.O.A.T. (greatest of all time). They are perfect for each other because of the ways they compliment each other. For example, where my mom is quick to react, my dad stays cool, calm, and collected. Where my mom does things on a whim, my dad takes his time in planning every last detail. They also have this sense of humor that is contagious. My parents have an endless amount of love and support for us kids. As cheesy as it sounds, I could not ask for better parents.

Next comes Danielle. She's 22 and currently attends the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is studying english and will be graduating in May. Post undergrad she will continue her education at UW-Madison's Graduate School to earn her teaching degree. 

After Danielle, comes me. 20, junior at St. Norbert, studying Communication. Currently I am keeping busy with being President of Theta Phi Alpha. My post college plans include attending grad school to pursue a career in speech pathology.

After me, comes Holly. She's 18 and a senior at Homestead High School. Like Danielle she will be graduating, except a month later in June. She is finishing up her second year on the varsity basketball team. As of right now, she is undecided on where she will attend college, but does know that she wants to study nursing/medicine.

Finally comes the twins, Jacqueline and Michelle. They just turned 16 (happy birthday!), and are sophomores at Divine Savior Holy Angels High School. Jackie is currently finishing up her season on the varsity basketball team, while Michelle is finishing up her season on the JV basketball team. In a few short weeks they will begin their second season on the varsity softball team. Softball is their biggest passion and they dedicate some amount of time everyday to it. 

Now, back to the metaphor. The Dooge family is like an organized mess because we are always on the move. The only time we are all in the house at the same time is between the hours of 10 pm and 7 am. However, Tammy has a system down that allows everyone to be everywhere. She is a firm believer in schedules; there is a family calendar with everyone's schedule, and then individual schedules are posted on our kitchen cabinets. Each night we go over who needs to be where the next day, and that helps to create smooth transitions throughout the day. To people on the outside of the Dooge family, it looks like we are running around without any idea of what's going on. But, it is quite the opposite. Every member of the Dooge family plays a critical role in the success of everyone's day. 

Our textbook defines family as "a self-defined group of intimates who create and maintain themselves through their own interactions and interactions with others; a family may include both voluntary and involuntary relationships; it creates both literal and symbolic internal and external boundaries; and it evolves through time: it has a history, a present, and a future." This definition fits the Dooge family pretty well. While we didn't have a choice in who we got as family, we wouldn't want anybody else. In other words, we all voluntarily choose to stay. Since us kids are all so close in age, we've grown up together and continue to do so. We've already talked about living in the same neighborhood when our parents make us move out of the house. At the end of the day this is my favorite family and I'm honored to be apart of it.

Mini Dooge Family Photo Album: