Did you know that the birth order in which you and your siblings are born can affect your whole personality?
Much research has been done and says that ''The birth order of siblings affects who they are, what they are capable of and how they act.'' Let's take a closer look at the oldest, middle, youngest and also the only child's personalities!
First-Born Child(Oldest sibling)
Usually, it is said that firstborn children get the most attention from their parents as they are the first kids that their parents are experiencing. Until their sibling is born, when they were the first and the only one in the family they had everything they could have, life was perfect it was the prime version of their selves. Then the sibling was born and they were ''replaced'' with a little creature that couldn't even talk. All the attention they used to have is on them and they are forgotten, left to the side. This can have a huge negative effect on their life and they can often feel like they are always going to be the second option or get replaced by someone else in every position of their life. Over time, they are expected to set a great example for their sibling, leading to stress and pressure about ''being the greatest example''. The mindset of being a great example usually makes them crave academic validation and be great at every topic. They are also considered a second parent since their parents have gotten so soft on the youngest because they have learned that being strict isn't the way of solution. They experience the inequality in the family first by seeing how their sibling can do things that they weren't allowed to do at their age. So they try to reflect the childhood they had by trying to parent their sibling. This makes the oldest one usually get labelled as the controller or the leader of the family by their siblings. They have also seen the worst version of the family and tried to live through the hard times without having anyone by their side to hold on. This is why they are so caring about their siblings when they are in their hard times because they know how it feels to have no one. Also, the parents got tired of raising a kid so when they want some private time, the oldest one is the one they left the youngest with to babysit. They take the responsibility of a kid while they are a kid. They learn to share everything in their life with their sibling, even their own personal stuff. Sometimes they had to share their birthday candles too because the little goblin cried and blew a tantrum to blow out some candles. The little kid took the oldest one's only special day in the year. This makes them feel like they have nothing to themselves and feel unimportant. But after all, they are the ones who protect their siblings and be on their side in every minute of their lives. They could give their life away to save the younger ones. These things make the firstborns usually more responsible, mature, caring, over-achievers and leaders than the other siblings. They might be mature but they also are childish around people they feel safe with. They will try to live the childhood that they couldn't have sometimes.
Let's talk about the sibling who makes the oldest one the way they are!
Middle Child
The middle child is usually known as ''the invisible kid'' in the family. They are the second one in the family. They usually have the same fate as their older ones. They were once important and had all the attention they wanted from their parents. Then another little kid was born. Until then they were the little ones so everyone looked out for them. They were always told to follow their oldest ones' path as they were the perfect example in the little ones' lives. Middle siblings had the pressure to be like their older siblings. They can be insecure due to always getting compared to the first kid in the family. They were usually bossed around by their big sibling, which could lead them to feel under pressure and experience anxiety. They learned to share everything when they were born so they are not one of the rude kids who don't know how to be kind. Middle kids know how to be taken care of and how to take care. They are usually more emotional and empathetic than the other siblings. Until the last kid was born, they were the stars in the family. When little ones are born they get forgotten. The oldest one gets old and everyone tries to focus on them as they are leaving the house very soon. The little kid needs attention since they are so little. But the middle kid is in the middle. They can live by themselves and everyone always assumes that they don't need anything. They forget they have a middle kid. They learn how to make friends and be social. They might compete with their siblings to catch the attention or do some weird things to get the attention. This usually makes them people pleasers just because want to be noticed. They get used to living like this and they are usually forced to adapt to the places that they do not belong to. They can feel they are not a part of their own family as they were forgotten. These are some reasons that Middleborns are often described as independent, peacemakers, people pleasers, outgoing, adaptable,attention-seeking, jealous, competitive and insecure.
And it is the time to talk about the youngest one.
Youngest Child
These kids are referred to as ''the baby'' in the family. They are born with already set standards from their siblings. They usually are spoiled as their parents are much busier and more experienced than the first two kids. They mostly have the whole attention to themselves as they are the youngest ones in the family. They are loved and spoiled by their parents. Their big siblings are always by their side and they always get help for living a good life from the experienced family members. They have much more freedom than their siblings had at their age. They are much more outgoing and confident as they have been always supported by their family. They take risks because they don't usually face consequences given by their parents. Since they got all the attention and it never ended their whole life, they could be self-centered. They get used to being surrounded by their sibling their whole life. When their siblings grow up and leave home, they are alone and become the only child in the family. This also makes them social and confident since they are left by themselves until they leave too. They are adaptive as the middle child because they are born somewhere that has a whole bunch of personalities and mindsets so they learn to adapt. Sometimes they might gaslight and manipulate people when they don't get any attention from the people they want. They always got whatever they wanted and it made them angry if they dont. They also can face some pressure about being like their older ones. If they are not successful enough they could get bullied. Also, they didn't have to grow up fast and take on some responsibilities as their siblings. This can lead them to be immature and always need help to do something in their lives. For these and more many reasons they are outgoing, fun-loving, charming,free-spirited, immature, manipulative, self-centered, dependent and risk-taking.
We can't forget the only children.
Only Child
These kids always get the attention of their family. They were always the baby in the family since they had no other kids. They didn't have anybody to compete. They have faced the pressure to be successful in life since they are the only ones in the family. This makes them high achievers. They didn't have to share anything they had so they might be selfish. They are usually spoiled which is normal. They might like spending time alone. They are much more confident than people who have siblings but they could also lack social skills since they have no one but their parents to communicate with at home. They are more mature because they are usually surrounded by adults and mostly spend time with them. They are creative and sensitive as they have to entertain themselves. They often have difficulty working in groups. They are usually perfectionist because they have the pressure to be successful and make their parent proud. They could be the therapist to their parents and may listen to the family problems and try to solve them. These might be some reasons why they are typically labelled as having these traits: mature, diligent, thoughtful, perfectionistic,high-achieving, imaginative, self-reliant, and sensitive.
As these traits are typical and known by almost everyone, everyone is different. The way you grow up and get treated depends on your family. You may not show the same traits written in here but also you may show the exact traits written here. Be who you want to be. You are special and loved.
But still. Which one are you?