Birth Order: The Baby
What about Baby? The youngest-born often gets almost as much attention as the first-born received, in contrast to the middle children who had to share the attention of the parents. Many youngest children receive the benefit of not only parental attention but also the attention of older brother(s) and sister(s).
The parents finally discover that they really didn’t have to worry to such an intense degree. Children don’t ordinarily self-destruct and children can do many things on their own. Thus, younger children run the risk of becoming “spoiled”. This spoiling can take several forms.
· Older siblings may take on too many responsibilities that really belong to the youngest child.
· Greater parental relaxation may create a more permissive approach yielding too much freedom too soon.
· Many parents find that by the time the youngest comes along, they are more financially stable and tend to lavish the youngest with too many material things, including too much money to spend. Too much time and too much money often results in trouble during the teen years!
It is important how brothers and sisters relate to each other. In a loving and caring family, where parents strive for acceptance of each child’s individual differences, it doesn’t seem to matter whether a youngster is first-born, second, third or thirteenth. There is usually a feeling of love and closeness amongst them.
Now, find each of your children, hug and kiss them, and say, “This is just because you’re you—and I love you.”
Linda Morgan, Parish Nanny