Blame birth order

Do siblings have certain traits because of the order in which they were born? Some studies think so.

By Olivia Jones
Cabell Midland High School

Have you ever been frustrated with a sibling and thought, “Why can’t they be more like me? I must have been adopted!”? Well, adoption may not be the case, but there are speculation that it could be your sibling’s birth order that causes him or her to be so different.

For example, if you are the oldest child, then you are more likely to be a natural leader and be more responsible, according to an article in National Geographic Kids.

Cabell Midland junior Katie Jones agrees with this. “Oldest children tend to be more responsible than younger siblings. It’s always hard to make my younger brother be serious on important issues.”

Junior Rachel Parlock also agrees. “My oldest sister is the motivator, and my older brother is always making sure we are on time for things.”

Perhaps the reason for this is the burden that parents place upon older children, from babysitting younger siblings or cleaning up after them to taking them places or picking them up at a friend’s house. Older siblings also may have more household chores to perform.

“I generally have more chores to do than my brother because I’m older,” Jones said.

However, an older sibling’s responsibility for a younger child can create a bond between the two. Junior Isaac Sheets, the youngest in his family, says that his sister was like a second mother to him growing up.

If you’re the middle sibling, like Parlock, the article stated that it is likely that you will be the peacemaker of the family.

It also said that middle children are more likely to be neglected because of the attention given to the oldest and youngest children. But Parlock, who is the middle of 10 siblings, disagrees with that.

“My parents try to give equal amounts of attention to all the children,” she said, adding that the only downfall is that during dinner, when everyone is trying to speak, it is often hard to get a word in.

Youngest children are said to be babied more than their siblings and have rebellious qualities because they do not want to be in the shadow of the older children. Sheets doesn’t deny this.

“Being the youngest definitely isn’t the worst thing in the world,” he said.

But what if you have no siblings at all? How is your personality likely to be shaped, then?

According to the article, if you are an only child, you will be more of an independent person.

Of course, being an only child also carries the stereotype of being spoiled. But junior Kristen McKinney disagrees with this.

“I may not have siblings, but that just means I have even more responsibility and chores to do!” she said.

Birth order is not the only factor in determining the inner workings of your personality, but it just may explain why your sibling has that incredibly annoying trait.