The Delicate Give and Take of Sibling Dynamics

Birth order really is everything.

Photo by Josue Michel on Unsplash

Asking people about their birth order is like asking them what their horoscope is. Their response says everything about who they are, and most people have a visceral reaction to the question. “I was the eldest and responsible for everything and everyone,” some of them will immediately tell you. “I was the youngest and they all still push me around,” still others will claim.

As exaggerated as some of these stories or perspectives may seem, the reality is that they are backed by science and entirely true. Birth order does affect how you grow up, it affects your relationship with your parents, how you see yourself…the whole thing. Where we are born in our family determines a lot of the outcomes we have as adults, for better and for worse.

Why does that matter? Because getting outside of the borderline-comedic anecdotes we like to throw around about our siblings, birth order is important to understand as we strive to build more peaceful relationships with our family. Once you understand how birth order impacts siblings and their relationships with one another, as I always say, you are better equipped to heal any wounds you may be dealing with there.