Jung Hanna

  EPISODE 5. SECOND

My second child is now seven years old, and I think things have improved a little. But still, they often choose to cause trouble. Even though I understand why, I can’t help but wonder every time. Still, I try my best to understand and accept it. It’s really not easy. 

 Stay strong, all the second-borns of the world! How did you manage to survive? My younger sister became a somewhat conservative perfectionist as she grew older. Did she change because she had already gone through all her rebellious phases as a child? Sometimes, I wonder. But I don’t believe that childhood entirely dictates who we become as adults. 

 That said, I do think birth order plays a significant role in shaping family dynamics, especially since it becomes ingrained during the critical years of childhood brain development. Sibling relationships are the first human connections we form outside of our parents, and they are shaped by the environment we are born into. Of course, natural temperament plays a role, but it’s fascinating how birth order stereotypes seem to exist across cultures. 

 For example, firstborns are often seen as responsible, tolerant, yet competitive. Second-borns, on the other hand, tend to be more free-spirited and perceptive but sometimes rebellious. These traits frequently appear in literature, film, and other cultural narratives as well.