Scott Couey

Where do you fall in birth order?

Lately I have become obsessed with topic of family dynamics. To be honest with you, I’m not even sure why. Several months back I was rummaging through my local Goodwill, when I came across a book that sparked my interest. “The New Birth Order Book – Why You Are The Way You Are” by Dr. Kevin Leman is a very interesting read that kept me informed from cover to cover. When you mention birth order, people tend to think it only references whether you are first born, middle child, or the baby of the family. While this is true, there are other factors that come into play – what birth order are your parents, how much of an age gap is there between you and your sibling(s), your gender and the gender of your sibling(s), and how your parents raised you are just a few other components that Dr. Leman speaks of in his book.

Your first thought may be, “Oh great! A psychology book!” This book is written in layman’s terms so you won’t have to grab the closest dictionary while you’re reading. Leman is a Christian and uses Biblical stories (like that of Jacob and Esau) to illustrate his points. I am the oldest of three boys and could easily see myself and my two brothers in the examples he gave (trust me, this is not a bad or negative thing, but very informative as to why we act the way we do). He mentions that the oldest child tends to take on characteristics of being a natural leader, a perfectionist, a list maker, and more. I can easily relate to this assessment. Leman reminds the reader that not all children will exemplify all characteristics of their birth order, but it was interesting to see how many actually fit in the description of me and my brothers.

In the book, Leman discusses his own family experiences (he and his wife have five children) which makes it easier to relate. Topics in the book include how to discipline your children with respect to their birth order, what birth orders should and shouldn’t marry, and applying birth orders to your job. I think this book would be a great read for anyone in sales as it talks about how the different birth orders make decisions when it comes to business. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the different components of personality – especially what makes us think, do, and react the way we do.

Photo Credit: By monkeysox