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How Birth Order Impacts Your Child’s Personality

There all kinds of stereotypes about what it means to be the oldest, youngest or middle child, but there is actually some truth behind how a child’s birth order impacts his personality. We’ve outlined why and where these traits exist and what it has to do with when your little one was born.

Adult helping small child hold an infant

Oldest Child

The most common stereotype for a child that is the oldest is that he’s bossy or takes a lot of responsibility. Because he is the only child for some time in his life, he’s likely to look to mom or dad for example. This is often where responsible nature comes from. Oftentimes first born children are overly protective of brothers or sisters that arrive later because of this. They’re also typically more confident and assertive.

Child hugging a younger child, both smiling

Youngest Child

The youngest child often experiences less strict parenting because mom and dad have learned what works through their other children. This lenience can make the baby more carefree and easygoing, as well as more sociable. However, the youngest child might also be more rebellious if he wants to set himself apart from his siblings. If his older brothers or sisters tended to baby him, he might also end up acting more spoiled.

Three smiling siblings standing outside and holding containers of popcorn

Middle Child

While the middle child doesn’t have the rights that the oldest might experience, they usually don’t have the privileges that the youngest gets, either. This tends to result in the middle child being a peacekeeper who is more diplomatic and knows how to negotiate with the parent in order to get a fair decision. Middle children tend to have the most realistic expectations, are typically more independent than their siblings and are the least likely of the ranks to be spoiled. Oftentimes, the traits he develops the most strongly play off of how the older sibling acts.

Looking for activities for the whole family to enjoy? Check out our suggestions for indoor and outdoor winter family fun.

 

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