Once people learn about Birth Order, the question arises which Birth Order is the hardest to manage?
I must first say There Are No Bad Birth Orders, just differences.
The hardest Birth Order for a person to manage is the Double Birth order of a Four/Only.
This occurs when there are 4 years between the third sibling and the fourth born.
When this occurs the fourth born is at home with one of the parents while the other older children are in school. This added parental attention imparts many of the qualities of the Only child on the Fourth born.
Doing this Amplifies, Intensifies and Magnifies all the fourth born traits.
For the Four/Only child it is a very difficult life. He has two voices speaking to him and his two Birth orders are the farthest apart in the birth order spectrum so no wonder he is confused.
His Only side says, “You can do this like an adult”.
The four side says, “No I can’t, someone must do it for me.”
He vacillates between these two personalities and those around him do not really know who they are talking to, the accomplished little adult or the baby in the family that needs help.
These people can achieve great things but only when they understand the two sides of their Double Birth order and its unique characteristics.
I am Dr. Robert Hurst author of Life’s Fingerprint: How Birth Order Affects Your Path Throughout Life. I have been an Orthodontist for over 50 years and have been observing my patients from childhood to adulthood and beyond. My patients call me Dr. Bob.