Parent to Parent: Sibling Roles

WSVN -- They're not exactly the "Brady Bunch," but they're pretty close.

Meet the Turner family: Parents Laly and John and their four children.

Laly Turner: "I always wanted to have a really big family. I was an only child, so I always said I was going to have a lot of kids, and I did."

The Turners can tell you, having a big family means having a lot of different personalities living under one roof.

But knowing how birth order affects personalities could help you sort it all out.

Laly Turner: "Well, there's been some research about the role of siblings."

Seven's parenting expert Dr. Valerie Goode says whether you were born first or last can affect how you deal with things the rest of your life.

Dr. Valerie Goode: "You figure out different ways of behaving with other people, and then we take those patterns out into the rest of the world."

Fifteen-year-old Amaryllis is the oldest.

First-born children tend to be perfectionists who enjoy making sure everyone is happy.

Dr. Valerie Goode: "So the older one may take on some more responsibility."

Twelve-year-old Crystal and 10-year-old John were born next.

Middle-born children tend to be more rebellious, yet they adapt easily to any situation and avoid conflict.

Dr. Valerie Goode: "Usually the middle one does not like to have peace disturbed, so he or she is usually happy if everything is OK."

Six-year-old A.J. is the baby of the bunch, the youngest child tends to be outgoing, charming and demanding or impatient.

Making others consider them spoiled.

Dr. Valerie Goode: "The youngest ones always get away with everything and, even when they're not, the other two or three or four are accusing the youngest one of getting away with everything because they've always been the baby."

Laly says her kids do follow these patterns. Amaryllis is the responsible one, Crystal is more motherly, John is happy-go-lucky and A.J. tends to get what he wants.

A.J. Turner: "They always take care of me. They always do good stuff for me."

But she wouldn't trade in her big family for the world.

Laly Turner: "It's like a house full of love and warmth, and we all fight like cats and dogs, but we all love each other to death."

Lynn Martinez: "Dr. Valerie does caution that parents should avoid stereotyping their children by looking at them as unique individuals and avoid comparing them to their siblings."

IF YOU HAVE A CONCERN DR. VALERIE CAN HELP YOU WITH E-MAIL US AT:

parent@wsvn.com

Dr. Valerie Goode
305-667-5232
7711 SW 62 Ave. Suite 203
Miami, FL 33143