Where Do I Fit In?

Family dynamics are really weird if you think about it. How come kids who are raised by the same parents and have a similar life style, often have so many different personalities and traits? Or why do people say birth order always affects someone's life?

This week in class we talked about how everyone in a family plays a certain role. Are you the trouble maker? The 2nd mom? The peacemaker? Whatever your role is, it has an affect on the rest of the family. It was somewhat hard to see what the roles my family played because we are all adults and more or less living our own lives. We all have very different lifestyles out of my four siblings and I, but I could not really peace together who has what role. But when families are living together under one roof, it is probably easier to see what roles kids will play.

In a few of my other classes I have taken besides family relations have talked about family dynamics and roles as well. Research has shown that oldest children are more likely to be very driven, and career oriented. Middle children are supposed to be the most social and out going. And youngest children are mostly to rebel. So when I thought of this I was wondering, do these statistics change when you don't have three kids? And what are the factors that play into studies like this?

In my opinion I think it is important to recognize your role, and your family member's roles in the family unit because then you can become closer. I think a lot of times people focus on themselves and what they want to be in the family, instead of understanding how to use their talents to better the family as a whole.