Michael Wignall wrote:

>"nickay420" <removethisnickay@charter.net> wrote in message
>news:ulbjti6qrbiq4f@corp.supernews.com...
>  
>
>>if shinji is the third child, rei the second, and asuka
>> the fourth.. then who was the first?
>>    
>>
>
>Actually don't listen to anyone in this thread at all.
>They are all wrong so far.
>
>Rei is the First Children.
>Asuka is the Second Children.
>Shinji is the Third Children.
>Touji is the Fourth Children.
>Kaoru is the Fifth Children.
>
>There is no such thing as a "Child" title designating
>a pilot in the original Japanese version of Evangelion.
>They use the English word "Children" and they use it
>on purpose (ie it is not a mistake).
>  
>

Is there an official explanation to this?  I had heard that it was 
because collectively the Rei clones were considered the "First Children" 
and to keep people from catching on they designated them all "children".

Richard