We've all heard it before: "you just have second child syndrome" or "leave her alone, she's just suffering from middle child syndrome." But how accurate is the "second child syndrome?" Does it really affect birth order and personality? Is it a real "syndrome?"Alfred Adler, an … [Read more...] about Second Child Syndrome, Birth Order and Personality
Siblings
Stop Children’s Fighting Over Toys
When parents buy a toy for their children, we have visions of happy, smiling children enjoying the toy. Ideally, all the children in one family will share toys, especially if it would be too expensive to buy one for each child. Too often though, children end up fighting over the … [Read more...] about Stop Children’s Fighting Over Toys
I’m A Big Brother! Adjusting to a New Baby
If you want your children to adjust to a new baby, there are some specific areas you have to be careful about, and some specific things you can do. The following are five tips for helping older siblings adjust to life with baby: 1. Plan for baby. The more you plan the better … [Read more...] about I’m A Big Brother! Adjusting to a New Baby
The Powder Girls and My Little Brother
My younger brother Tony had not seen our mother for many years until I broke the news to him she was dying of cancer. He had been separated from his wife for a time but gathered his wife and daughter and made the eight-hour trip to our mother’s home. I waited anxiously with two … [Read more...] about The Powder Girls and My Little Brother
The Personality Type of a First Child
Birth order has been considered a primary influence on personality since the time of Alfred Adler, a psychologist who was one of the first to consider birth order. Obviously, each child has different characteristics, regardless of their birth order. Things like temperament, … [Read more...] about The Personality Type of a First Child
Parenting viewpoints from parents in the trenches, because parenting doesn’t come with a manual. In addition to