Childhood is a period of development that can have a deep effect upon our character, and our future relationships with the opposite sex.  Crucial to that development is the behavioural effect determined by the existence of brothers and sisters, and the birth order in which each one of us found ourselves.

What is a child's birth order?

Someone's birth order is the position occupied by that person during childhood in relation to his or her siblings.  This could be one of several positions:

Birth order	Characteristics
An 'only' child	An 'only' child has no competition from siblings for its parents' love.  Such a child becomes somewhat egotistical, and can be demanding in later life.  More:
A firstborn or eldest child	A firstborn child assumes responsibility for younger siblings.  That sense of responsibility often leads the child to occupy a position of authority in later life.  More:
A 'middle' child	A 'middle' child learns to compete wth older and younger siblings for its parents' love by playing one sibling off against the other.  Such children may become indecisive.  More:
A youngest child	A youngest child becomes accustomed to being last in the pecking order, and will consequently want to accept instructions and guidance in later life.  More:

When assessing compatibility between two people, their respective birth orders are a relevant consideration.  The chart below provides a score for each of the identified relationships which should be added or subtracted to the total compatibility score awarded by the Compatibility program.  However, these scores should not be included without also including scores from the Yin/Yang balance as calculated in the Element Chart program.  For example, the second line in the chart shows how the Yin/Yang balance could affect the score of a relationship between two 'only' children.  If she has 4 yangs in her Element Chart, and he has 4 Yins (as shown), then the relationship will be much more balanced.  See Chinese Elements for more information.

Note that siblings' gender also plays a part in the compatibility of some birth order relationships.

First Person	First person's birth order	Second Person	Second person's birth order	Score
Female	She is an 'only' child.	Male	He is an 'only' child.	- 4
Female with Yin/Yang balance:	She is an 'only' child	Male with Yin/Yang balance:	He is an 'only' child.	- 1
Female	She is an 'only' child	Male	— He is the youngest with one or more older sisters.	+ 4
Male	He is an 'only' child	Female	— She is the youngest with one or more older brothers.	+ 4
Female	— She is the firstborn with one or more younger brothers or sisters.	Male	— He is the firstborn with one or more younger brothers or sisters.	- 4
Female	— She is the youngest child of two or more children, including a brother.	Male	— He is the firstborn with one or more younger siblings	+ 4
Female	— She is the firstborn of two or more children.	Male	— He is the youngest of two or more children	+ 4
Female	— — She is a (or the) middle child.	Male	— — He is a (or the) middle child.	- 4
Female	— She is the youngest child of two or more children.	Male	— — He is a (or the) middle child.	- 3
Female	— She is the youngest child of two or more children.	Male	— He is the youngest of two or more children	- 4
Female	— — She is a (or the) middle child.	Male	— He is the youngest of two or more children, but no sister.	- 1
Male	— — He is a (or the) middle child, including a younger sister.	Female	— She is the youngest child of two or more children, including an older brother.	+ 2
Female	— — She is a (or the) middle child.	Male	— He is the firstborn with one or more younger brothers	- 1

Note: The guidance above assumes that the age gap between any two consecutive siblings is no more than 6 years.  It also assumes that none of the children are step-children, half-brothers or half-sisters.  However it does include adopted children who came to live with the family from an early age.

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