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The Birth Order Quandary, Part 2/2

Updated on September 8, 2013
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Grace knows birth order dynamics. Children are treated differently based upon their respective birth orders.

THE YOUNGEST CHILD IN THE FAMILY

Youngest children in the family are oftentimes ADORED, BABIED, and CAN GET AWAY WITH MURDER.   They have to fight to be respected and taken seriously by other family members.
Youngest children in the family are oftentimes ADORED, BABIED, and CAN GET AWAY WITH MURDER. They have to fight to be respected and taken seriously by other family members.

THE NEVERENDING STORY

This hub is Part 2 to the request WOULD YOU RATHER BE THE OLDEST, IN THE MIDDLE, OR THE YOUNGEST? by a brother hubber.

III. THE YOUNGEST CHILD

Well, what can one say about the youngest child in the family? The position of youngest child is one of the easiest and smoothest of all respective birth orders. He/she has all the glories in life without a lot of the ardor and difficulties of other birth orders. The life of the youngest child in the family is often quite golden to say the least. To many people, the youngest child in the family have it made in the shade so to speak. He/she is often the baby of the family, overindulged and pampered by parents and older siblings alike.

The youngest child is the LAST CHANCE child in the family. After him/her, there will be NO MORE CHILDREN. Mama at this stage have stopped making deliveries and closed shop so to speak. The youngest child in the family knows for sure that he/she will never be dethroned by another incoming child. He/she is the center of the parents' universe more or less.

The life of the youngest child is quite a luxuriant and easy life. At least in comparison with the older, particular the oldest sibling in the family. He/she often has the longest and less stressfree childhood and adolescence imaginable. While the oldest siblings in their respective families started being responsible from childhood, many youngest children are still carefree and have no responsibilities in their late adolescence. They do not have to worry about assuming major responsibilities as their parents and/or older siblings do the tasks at hand for them.

Furthermore, the youngest child in the family is often the star and the attention receiver. This is quite natural, after all, he/she is the precious entity of the family. He/she is the BABY, THE BABY. This means that he/she oftentimes will be treated with kid gloves. There is nothing that parents will not do to assuage and to fulfill the needs and wants of their youngest child. Nothing is too good for him/her!

Yes, whatever the precious baby wants, he/she will get-usually in one way or another. The youngest child is quite adept at achieving his/her wants and desires. If his/her needs are not met either by the parents or by siblings, he/she is not above using psychological mindgames to obtain his wants and needs. The youngest child is the epitome of gamemanship. He/she knows how to effectively use psychological mindgames to have others bend to his/her will.

Although the youngest child is the last child of the family, he/she is not at the bottom of the family chain. He/she has power that the oldest child does not have. Yes, the oldest child can overtly assert his/her power by virtue of his/her size and physicality. However, the youngest child has the ability to exert power more stealthily. He/she has the means to assert his/her power in ways that would put Machiavelli to shame. All he/she has to do to assert power over the older siblings is to either threaten to tell the parents or to just mention their name!

The youngest child is considered to be the most defenseless one in the family. Parents and older siblings alike will protect their little one. Because he/she is viewed as totally helpless and defenseless, he/she will often assume responsibility at later ages than their older, especially the oldest sibling. He/she is oftentimes is more infantilized by the parents than any other birth order.

This action results in many youngest child wanting to be rescued and avoiding any type of responsibility. He/she tends to believe that life is easy and that everything will be handled. Many youngest children have extended childhoods into adulthood. Many parents are quite loathe to let their youngest child grow up and assume responsibilities. To such parents, their youngest child is just that...........a little infant to be shielded from the harsh, cruel world as much as humanely possible.

Studies have substantiated that the youngest child in the family is the one who is the most cuddled, hugged, and indulged. In addition to that, the youngest child is often the most favorite child in the family. Yes, the youngest child is the one who is often treated the most preferentially by parents.

Parents tend to be more indulgent towards their youngest child than they were to either their oldest and/or middle children. After all, they had practice with their oldest and middle children. They are now more comfortable and relaxed in the parenting role and this is reflected in how they raise their youngest child.

The youngest child is more likely to get away with offenses and infractions which the older siblings, particularly the oldest child, would be near crucified for. It is the now the reasoning of the parents that he/she is the baby so he/she does not know what he/she is doing. When the older siblings lament that THIS IS TOTALLY NOT FAIR, the parents just laugh and look adoringly at their youngest child.

Now where does that leave the older siblings? Many older siblings assert that the youngest child is living the life of Riley. They state that the youngest child should also pay his/her dues as they have. They maintain that if they had to pay the familial dues, why shouldn't their youngest sibling. Many older siblings resent the preferential treatment that their youngest sibling receive. They figure why is this youngest child the emperor/empress of the universe while they are mere average Joes/Josephinas so to speak.

Another aspect to the youngest child seldom, if never, punished for offenses and other forms of bad and/or errant behavior is that he/she can easily blame his/her older sibling for the offending behavior. Many a youngest child went through childhood and adolescence quite unscathed. He/she was free to act as outrageously as he/she desired with no parental castigation or just a slap on the wrist.

As a result of the youngest child being given free reign so to speak, many of them can be aptly described as spoiled brats. They believe that circumstances should be geared to their liking. Because almost everything was done for them by their parents and older siblings, they have a receivership mentality. This receivership mentality often makes the youngest child to be quite self-centered, if not, downright selfish.

Because the youngest child is often at the center of the familial universe, they can be quite attention seeking. He/she loves attention and lots of it! He/she love to be "on", receiving the unadulterated adulation of parents, siblings, and other family members. People love to coo the "baby" so to speak.

Since the youngest child is often viewed as the baby and the diminutive, it is often hard for him/her to be taken seriously and to respected in earnest by others. This make it an arduous task for the youngest child in the family to demonstrate this he/she is a competent and mature adult. Oftentimes, no matter what he/she does, to some family members, he/she will always be the dilettantish.

It is not expected that the youngest child will ever achieve something of note because he/she is just seen as a novice. He/ she is often not perceived to have what it takes to be successful because everything was done for him/her and he/she was sheltered by parents and siblings alike. Oftentimes, it comes as quite a surprise when the youngest child of the family become highly successful. Mark Wahlberg, big name actor and producer, the youngest of nine, was once only known as an underwear model and general bad boy. However, he decided to prove that he was more than a underwear model and became a serious and noted actor/producer much to the astonishment of those around him.

The youngest child often has an abundance of people skills. He/she oftentimes knows what makes people tick. This makes him/her marvelous in position where there is massive interaction with the public. In addition to that, he/she loves to be the center of attention and/or the stars in their families. Many youngest children flourish quite well in the entertainment business, whether it is acting, singing. A lot of comedians are the youngest in their respective families.

The youngest child views life as a fun adventure to be savored, not an arduous sentence to be merely endured until death does one part. He/she embodies the concept of juiciness and spiciness in terms of his/her approach to life. To him/her, life is a series of experimentation and growth.

The youngest child can be quite unconventional because he/she wants to do things differently from other family members. His/her reasoning is that since his/her parents and/or siblings following this path, he/she is going to do something-VERY DIFFERENT INDEED. He/she wants to make his/her unique mark in this world.

The birth order scenario is such an uncertain one. Each birth order does serve a unique purpose in the order of things. There are important tests in each respective birth order which guarantees certain life lessons to learn. Each birth order has its positives and negatives no matter how satisfied and/or dissatisfied one is with his/her respective birth order. Your birth order is actually a gift to appreciate and savor! Now WHICH birth order do YOU DESIRE to be?

Satisfaction With YOUR Respective Birth Order

A. Are you happy with your birth order?

See results

B. What is your birth order?

See results

© 2012 Grace Marguerite Williams

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