The order in which we are born seems to have an effect on how we approach situations that life throws at us, and also our overall personality.
As someone who is the eldest of three boys, I feel like my personality accurately reflects traits of most eldest children. If you were to ask someone who knows me well what my most prominent personality traits are, they would most likely say leadership and maybe even a little bit stubborn. I think that these traits are pretty common among eldest children. We are almost like the trial babies, when our parents are still trying to figure out how to parent. We also have the responsibility to set the example for our other siblings. In my own family, from a very young age, I was always expected to be a positive example for my two younger brothers. I started babysitting them when I was 9, and I have always felt like I need to be one of their biggest role models. It feels like a lot of pressure at times, and it's definitely shaped my personality into what it is today.
Middle children tend to get the reputation of being the "forgotten sibling". They tend to be more mild mannered and independent. Parents learned their lesson from the oldest, so they aren't the trial babies, but most of the time there are younger siblings that take the attention away from the middle child. In my family, my brother Luke definitely is an exception to the rule. Our youngest brother, Benji, has special needs and is non-verbal, so Luke has always had lots of personality traits that are found among youngest siblings. He is very outgoing and very popular among friends. He is very positive and good at forming relationships with others. But, he is also very level headed, and demonstrates qualities of a middle child as well.
Having a brother with special needs has definitely changed our family dynamic from what is considered to be normal. We all have had to team together and raise Benji together. As odd as it may sound, I treat and feel as if my youngest brother is a child of my own. It has made our family more united, and has honestly been one of the biggest reasons that our family remains apart of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Our faith in the Plan of Salvation keeps us together as a family unit.
I believe that birth order does shape a lot of us into the people we are, but that is only the icing on the cake. Our experiences in life are what really makes us who we are more than anything else.
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