The Sibling Effect
A normal question that I usually get asked is, “how do you do it with 4 kids? I can’t even handle one.”
The answer to this question is a little more complex but I am going to try and simplify it for you. I like to call it the “Sibling Effect”. What this means is that the more older siblings your child has the better behaved they are. Now there is always an exception to every rule and this is also only a theory of mine so take it with a grain of salt.
So why do I think that? Most complaints by parents with one child is the constant running off. For instance, they get out in public and put the kid down and off they go. They just run anywhere. My oldest child did this a lot when she learned to walk. She didn’t have older siblings either. When my other kids got older they followed their siblings around and had no real feeling of needing to run off. Why? I am not sure the answer to that exact question but it could be they followed after their older siblings and learned by watching them. All of my kids would stay close by.
The other complaint parents with one kid usually have is they throw more fits in public, and even at home. They tend to kick and punch, or even lay down on the floor of the grocery store and scream. My oldest child did this too from time to time and we had to deal with it. But she didn’t have any older siblings. My younger kids have not been as bad and don’t really throw fits in public. Again, I am not sure I have it completely pinpointed but the younger ones sort of take the lead of the older ones. There is no running off, no fits, and they tend to sit tight.
Call me lucky if you want, but I think the theory has some credibility. I think it becomes more credible when the siblings are closer in age and spend a lot of time together. Granted there is more fighting over toys but a lot of the other issues with throwing fits and running off aren’t there as much. So it makes my job a lot easier. Yes, there are more kids to deal with, but with each child it gets easier when it comes to the kid to parent ratio. Does that make sense?
Who here has more than 3 kids and can relate to what I am saying? Most people with 1 or 2 kids seem to think my theory is kind of weird but I have talked with parents of 3 or more kids and they seem to agree.
What do you think? Do you think the Sibling Effect is credible? Why or why not?
Tags: fatherhood, fits, Parenting, sibling-effect, siblingsRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Parenting
1 opinion for The Sibling Effect
Peter
Dec 20, 2006 at 11:35 am
You are right on the money. There is a pack effect (like wolves) with the oldest leading the way.
Have an opinion? Leave a comment: