Birth order affects everything from personality and character traits to future relationships and career choices. The difference in birth order, combined with how parents treat their children, causes children to grow and develop differently from siblings they may or may not have (Voo, Jocelyn). Family has the greatest influence on children's growth, and the order in which they are born determines how their family treats them (Leman, Kevin). There are many factors that contribute to children growing up and becoming who they are, but birth order is considered one of the most crucial (Gross, Dr. Gail). The order in which children are born also depends on the size of their family. Someone may be an only child or have multiple siblings. It all depends on how many children their parents choose to have. Having multiple children means that money, time, and attention must be divided among the children (Hartshorne, Joshua). The firstborn is likely to receive more attention from the parents, compared to the second born, whose parents are likely to be less attentive the second time around. Kevin Leman said, “Every time a child is born, the entire family environment changes. How parents interact with each child as he enters the family circle largely determines that child's ultimate fate. Being a firstborn means that that child is something of an experiment for the parents. It also means that they will be the only children to have their parents to themselves without their parents focusing on another child. The second born is likely to contain many of the same qualities as a firstborn if it is of the opposite sex from the previous one (Voo, Jocelyn). Parents are likely to be equally attentive to the firstborn of that gender, ... middle of paper ... order in relationships can often lead to more happiness (Leman, Kevin). There are so many deciding factors that go into birth order that must be considered to fully understand why someone is the way they are. A lot depends on the parents and how they treat their child or children growing up, but the order in which you are born makes the parents treat the child as their own. Works CitedGross, Dr. Gail. "The Achiever, the Peacemaker, and Party Life: How Birth Order Affects Personality." Huffingtonpost. 2014. Web. April 30, 2014. Hartshorne, Joshua K. “How Birth Order Affects Your Personality.” Scientificamerican, June 22, 2002. Web. April 30, 2014. Leman, Kevin. The birth order booklet: why you are the way you are. Grand Rapids: Revell, 2009. Print.Voo, Jocelyn. “Birth order and personality”. Parents. August 2006. Web. 30 April 2014.