Having this spin off thread was talked about on Vinsanity's C-Word thread, so I've just gone right ahead with it.
Let's see where it goes.
I remember an actress from a large family coming to school one day to interview the only children one lunchtime (totally voluntary as to us showing up) just to get a feel for a role she was researching. Because as LizziE pointed out, to get the feel for sibling dynamics, we've had to ask and listen to friends who have them. So this actress needed to ask and listen to us to get a feel for the character she had to portray.
But a couple of memorable things came out of that meeting (btw, it was an all girls school). First we were all rather tomboyish at primary school and played with the boys in preference to the girls. And second, we didn't feel any general attachment to our peer group (at least at school) - we got along much better with those either older or younger than us, and not just by a few years, but over half a dozen years difference at least. Between these two things, we agreed that perhaps a single sex school in an age based education system wasn't the most conducive environment to this all important "socialisation" that parents who have many children are always going on about (homeschoolers welcome to chime in here too hehe).
Let's see where it goes.
I remember an actress from a large family coming to school one day to interview the only children one lunchtime (totally voluntary as to us showing up) just to get a feel for a role she was researching. Because as LizziE pointed out, to get the feel for sibling dynamics, we've had to ask and listen to friends who have them. So this actress needed to ask and listen to us to get a feel for the character she had to portray.
But a couple of memorable things came out of that meeting (btw, it was an all girls school). First we were all rather tomboyish at primary school and played with the boys in preference to the girls. And second, we didn't feel any general attachment to our peer group (at least at school) - we got along much better with those either older or younger than us, and not just by a few years, but over half a dozen years difference at least. Between these two things, we agreed that perhaps a single sex school in an age based education system wasn't the most conducive environment to this all important "socialisation" that parents who have many children are always going on about (homeschoolers welcome to chime in here too hehe).