I am a strong believer that everything you do comes with an underlying reason with why you do it. You may not know it, but growing up around your family (and maybe siblings?) helps contribute to the majority of the overall outcome of your quirks and traits. It makes sense to say that the order of your birth and how you were raised coincides with your personality and challenges the effort you put into certain things. It's definitely not something you think about while you are young, because you can't fathom the idea that other people have affected your lifestyle. We all wanted to grow up and be independent. Given different circumstances, you may or may not have wanted to be just like your family. We can conclude now that it’s all out of our control. It's not until we grow up and mature past a certain point in our childhood and into our teenage years that we are able to see how our behavior is related to whether or not we were the only, oldest, middle, or youngest child.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                

 

 

 

 

 

According to yourtotalhealth.com, people who come from an only child home are the “mega-movers of the world.” They are self-sufficient and yearn for responsibility possibly because they have taken all of the household responsibilities children hold, not being able to deflect anything off on other siblings. On the downside, only children are alleged to not take criticism well. The pieces fit together on that accusation because they lacked the constant advice or guidance given from other children in the family which is vital to have while growing up. You could say they have never gotten a ‘second opinion,’ which did not prepare them for the world’s harsh judgment. This being said, only children may frequently get their feelings hurt since they aren’t used to the abrupt cancellation of their ideas being replaced with a different point of view.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

           The oldest siblings have the most prominent traits of control and leadership. They tend to lack sensitivity and are often pushy or intimidating. This could be because the first born usually have more responsibilities as the oldest to set an example and direct the other siblings. The oldest child may also subconsciously think that since they are "first born," they are entitled to extra rewards and more love from the parents. They are often spoiled and treated as though they can do no wrong, causing them to live without consequences. Or on the other hand, they could be used as the "rough draft" child, where the parents let themselves make mistakes while raising them and try to learn from cause and effect so they can better raise their future children. This would ultimately make the child grow up feeling like their only purpose was to be used as a trial period and have poor self-confidence.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

           The middle child, however, is more rational and likes pleasing other people. They aren't very confrontational and prefer peace over conflict. They are a little less driven, but this could be due to a decrease in attention from the older child's demanding ways. Middle children constantly are mediators, able to see both sides to problems. They have learned how to calm people down, fix conflicts and desire to be the one people turn to. Their main goal is to feel loved and wanted. You may have heard of 'the middle child syndrome,' where the sibling is caught in the middle and feels useless, like they have to fight for their parent's attention and may fall subject to feeling less superior than what they deserve.  On the contrary, the middle child may be able to get the better of this concept by using reverse psychology on the parents. They might use this common 'problem' to outsmart the parents into loving them and getting what they want.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

           While the middle child needs to have a purpose in life, the younger sibling thrives of the reassurance that they are acknowledged into this already crowded world. The youngest child is known for being the most extroverted and outgoing; they crave the acceptance of others and love to entertain. Sometimes they can be more concentrated on having fun, instead of being serious when the situation calls for it. This may be because the youngest child has either always been blamed for everything, or has never taken any responsibility for anything. One of the good things that the youngest child has is an example (typically more than one) of how their sibling's have dealt with their parents, so they are able to try and avoid inconsistency with behavioral problems. Strangely enough, the youngest are the ones most likely to rebel instead of conform.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

          Sitting down to analyze my own family and life, I realized how true (even though I didn't want it to be) these studies have proven to be. My sisters and I grew up completely oblivious to what we are 'programmed' to be, and yet we all share most of these characteristics pertaining to our birth order. My oldest sister, Angela, is always going to be the 'big cheese,' just like my other sister and I nicknamed her when we were little. She will always be the powerhouse of the Wilson Trio, whereas my middle sister, Leanna, will maintain the peace and keep our lives stable. The last part of the trio will always be me, the baby of the family, an odd mix thrown in to provide the excitement and laughter. I’ll always be oblivious to a lot of things, but I know one thing for sure: Without each other, we wouldn’t be the same people.