Importance of family

Family relationships, for better or worse, play a critical part in moulding an individual's well-being throughout their lives. There are different types of family relationships such as sibling ties, intergenerational relationships, and parent-child relationships.

Not to mention, there are different family dynamics that make them so unique. At the heart of these complex dynamics is the interaction between various members. It is vital to understand that we all have our differences and there are times where we can’t get along, but at the end of the day, we are still family whether we like it or not.

The types of family dynamics include:

• Single-parent family

• Only child family

• Blended family

• The family that we chose

• Family estrangement

Sibling ties

Our relationships with our siblings should not be overlooked or taken for granted, as they will be the ones who will be willing to drop everything and be by your side through your darkest times.

Siblings generally grew up in the same environment, and as a result, they can better comprehend one other's feelings and relate to each other often.

Older siblings can have a great impact on the younger sibling’s social development as they are able to direct their behavior while babysitting them. They are also known to be more nurturing towards same-gender younger siblings as compared to opposite younger siblings

(Samantha A. Slang, Jackie A. Nelson, 2017).

Some studies found that younger siblings influence sibling’s social development while others suggest that the birth order does not affect the influence of the sibling’s social development. Although there are inconsistencies in the literature, it can’t be denied that one of the given scenarios is reflective of the impact that our siblings had on our social development.

We often tend to tease, bully and teach our siblings some valuable lessons. Through these actions, children can slowly understand the emotions by viewing the situation from the other sibling’s perspective which leads to greater social competence (Samantha A. Slang, Jackie A. Nelson, 2017).

There are many hypotheses concerning the birth order and an abundance of stereotypes was formed. These theories include:

• The oldest child is often seen as the most conscientious and successful

• Middle child is presumably excluded and embittered

• Youngest is more affirmative and persuasive

These are interesting theories but as the youngest child myself, I do not correspond to them as I do find it difficult to persuade people.

To conclude, siblings are always right there by our side and they will impact our behavior to a certain extent. Whether we fight or quarrel, at the end of the day we still love them to bits and pieces. Go hug your sibling right now and tell them how much you love them. <3

References

Family dynamics. (2009, November 16). Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/basics/family-dynamics

Sang, S. A., & Nelson, J. A. (2017). The effect of siblings on children's social skills and perspective taking. Infant and Child Development, 26(6), e2023. https://doi.org/10.1002/icd.2023

The sibling relationship. (n.d.). Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/family-dynamics/sibling-relationships

Thomas, P. A., Liu H., & Umberson D. (2017, November 11). Family relationships and well-being. PubMed Central (PMC). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5954612/