Search Results for: blog why does birth order affect personality

Naming Your Baby

You may not think of genealogy as something that is affected by trends. However, there are some trends that your descendants will be talking about long after the trends have come and gone. Why? Because trends for baby naming become part of the information that is recorded as part of your family’s history. Naming a baby is no small task. Each set of parents must decide what kinds of things are important to them when selecting their children’s names. For example, is there a favorite relative whom you would like to honor by choosing their name as a child’s first … Continue reading →

How Much Should Siblings Have to Share?

Sharing is one of those early life lessons and we parents seem to put a lot of value on our children learning to share. We worry that if we are raising an only child, he or she won’t learn the lessons of sharing and when an older sibling welcomes a new baby—we immediately start to worry about whether or not she will be able to share toys, time, attention, and love. In reality, however, how much sharing should be expected and when it comes to siblings, should they really be expected to share everything and anything? As many of you … Continue reading →

Do You Treat Children Differently Because of Birth Order?

There is an ongoing debate in the world of families as to whether birth order actually matters. I thought it might be fun to consider a twist on this ongoing battle and ask whether or not, as a parent, we treat and react to our children differently based on where they fall in the birth order? Whether it is intentional or accidental, I’m willing to bet that most of us react differently to our children based not only on personality—but according to where they fall in the “chain of command” of our family structure. My eldest daughter got pushed out … Continue reading →

The Birth-Order Blues – Joan Drescher

Millicent Brown is a little girl with a journalist bent as evidenced by the fact that she runs her own “newspaper.” While having troubles dealing with her little brother, she is inspired to interview her friends from school about where they fall in their families and how they feel about that. Her friend Kim is the oldest, and Beth falls between Tim and Terry. Ralph is the youngest, and Tony is an only child. Each friend has a different situation. Millicent starts with Kim, and asks her how she likes being the oldest. On the one hand, Kim loves it. … Continue reading →

How To Combat Sibling Rivalry

Why is it that sibling rivalry gets all the attention when they are countless examples of siblings that get along great? It’s the same reason that the crying child gets a parents attention more often than their quiet sibling. Siblings who already have a great relationship don’t need any help it’s the siblings who battle that need attention. What causes sibling rivalry? Children don’t get to choose whom their brothers and sisters are. Conflicting personalities. Two controlling children will fight more than a dominant and passive child will. Competition for parental love and attention. Position in the family and the … Continue reading →

Parenting Your Only Child – What to Expect and Do

Only children have many of the characteristics of first-born children only in triplicate. They tend to be even more responsible and greater perfectionists. They are comfortable with adults because they spend most of their time in adult company. Only Child Traits Close relationship to parents Good self control Leadership Skills Mature Dependable Unforgiving Demanding Sensitive – feelings easily hurt Difficulty sharing Overly critical of others Private May feel under pressure to succeed Also many of the first-born characteristics Parenting the Only Child Let them be a child. Only children are often mature for their age and it is easy for … Continue reading →

Parenting Your Youngest Child – What to Expect and Do

Your youngest child is your last child and to some degree every parent wants to keep them young. Last born children are driven to catch up with their older siblings. Youngest children always have someone to play with and as a result tend to be social. They also have a chance to develop their silly side, since the older siblings usually shoulder most of the responsibility. For these reasons youngest children have some unique characteristics. Last-born Traits Risk takers Outgoing Creative – idea person Strong people skills – love to talk to others Extrovert Competitive – pushes themselves to keep … Continue reading →

Parenting Your Middle Child – What to Expect and Do

Middle children exhibit the widest amount of traits. It is pretty much a given that they will be different than their older sibling. But their differences can manifest in a variety of ways. But many middle children do exhibit the following traits. Middle-born Traits Flexible Easy Going Peacemaker – can see all sides of a situation Social – may not feel like they have a special place in the family so friends become more important Generous – they are used to sharing Secretive – don’t openly share their feelings Adaptable Avoids conflict – tries to keep life smooth May feel … Continue reading →

Parenting Your Oldest Child – What to Expect and Do

I am an oldest child, I see within myself many of the traits typically exhibited by oldest children. Of course just because you are the oldest child does not mean you will exhibit all of the “oldest child” traits, but you will probably see some correspondence in your own life and that of your oldest child. There are two types of first-borns. Although they both desire control they use different methods to attain it. The first type is a compliant nurturer or caregiver. The second type is an aggressive mover and shaker. Both types exhibit many of the first-born traits … Continue reading →

Does Birth Order Affect Personality?

I have found the concept of birth order affecting personality fascinating ever since I attended an education seminar on the topic with a fellow teacher. I am an oldest child and she was a youngest. It was interesting as we listened to the speaker outline the traits associated with each birth position how many of the traits we exhibited within our own lives. We also recognized the traits in many of our students. Why does birth order affect personality? The reason is because parents aren’t perfect so each child’s environment, largely depending upon their birth order is different. More responsibilities … Continue reading →