Birth Order/Sibling Dynamics

[NotabitaiI]

Just curious to see what everyone's sibling dynamics are like
Apparently birth order is a huge indicator of personality, lifestyle, and future relationships. I definitely see how it affects my life but I don't think I personally fit all the oldest sibling stereotypes.

• What's your birth order?
• Are you the stereotypical first/middle/youngest/only child?
• Are your siblings typical first/middle/youngest children?
• Do you have a better relationship with one of them?
• Do you think your parents raised you all the exact same way?
• What's your spouse's birth order and do you think it affects your relationship dynamic?
• Do your kids follow the usual sibling order stereotypes?

 

[Poultrybonkers]

Youngest of a litter of 5 and just the spare to all the heirs. Shoved under the rug.

 

[azurbanclucker]

Wife and I are the oldest, with one younger sib each, both 4 years younger than us (we're 6 weeks apart). I follow the "Happy wife, happy life" spousal dynamic mostly, but she spoils me just as much. we make decisions together, and I'd say it's pretty 50/50 on who wins out when we have a conflict.

My SIL is brilliant but lazy and coddled. My own Sister is at minimum my intellectual equal. I do think in both their cases, they had the benefit of our parents making mistakes with us and handling them differently. I also believe our parents did their best to parent us equally.

We have done the same with our kids. The age gap between oldest and youngest is 15 years, and the 2 youngest definitely got the benefit of some of the hard lessons we learned with the first 2. Having said that, the oldest 2 will tell you they think we parent differently but equally with all of them. They all have different drives and different needs for parental support.


As far as birth order theory goes, I'm very much in the "utter nonsense" camp.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4655556/

There is no formula, or every single one of us would have come with instruction manuals beyond "feed them, keep them clean, love them, and teach them to be responsible." Your children and your sibs are bound to you by their DNA, but how they use that is part nature, and part nurture. We're all products of a combination of biology, chemistry, and how we were raised. What we learned from that shapes our path. The ability to exercise free will and change things in our lives we don't like is what separates us from chimps.

 

[Pampered chicken girl]

Only child here its so weird when I'm like the only only child ANYWHERE

 

[notabitail]

2nd oldest.

 

[Finchbreeder]

Only children are becoming more common.
While 5 child families like the one I grew up in are becoming rarer.

 

[NotabitaiI]

2nd oldest.

That makes you a middle child

 

[NotabitaiI]

Only child here its so weird when I'm like the only only child ANYWHERE

It is more uncommon for some reason
Most people out here have a minimum of three kids.
I was the only child for a while and I wanted siblings, now that I have siblings I can appreciate the privilege that I once had
I love my siblings but I'm just not a kid person