A family might be rather fun
But not if you're the youngest one;
For the youngest one, and it's hardly fair,
Has nothing of her own to wear;
She finishes off her sisters frocks,
And shoes and socks;
And she wears for best the things they wore,
The year before;
And she's such as sure to be the last in every race;
And she has to sit in the smallest place.

A family might be rather fun
But not if you're the eldest one;
For the eldest one is the one who's told
That she's far too big and far too old,
To scuff her shoes on the garden wall;
And flop and sprawl:
To tear her stockings and frocks to rags,
and jags and tags;
And she's always told she should be the best;
And she does more lessons than all the rest.

A family might be rather fun
But not if you're the middling one;
For however the middling person tries
She misses the first and the last prize;
Yes, the middling one is so in between,
She's hardly seen;
So with one below and one above
She has to shove;
And she's always told, and it's rather flat:
She too old for this and too young for that.

A family might be rather fun
But it's better to be the only one;
Then first or middle or last of three,
There all horrible things to be:
But the only one is allowed to choose,
New frocks and new shoes;
And the only one is allowed to play
In her own way;
And she can't be last and she can't be worst;
For the only one is always first.

Unknown Author