What Every Parent Needs to Know About Siblings

Do you have more than one child? Are they constantly fighting for your time and energy? So how do you parent siblings? In today’s episode, I explore how birth order shapes your children’s development, behaviour, and long‑term identity. You’ll learn why research consistently shows firstborn advantages in earnings, IQ, and academic outcomes, and what sits beneath those patterns - from early illness exposure to diluted parental attention to the powerful “teaching effect” between siblings. I also help you unpack the hidden family roles your children adopt - the helper , the funny one , the responsible one - and how these labels quietly shape their confidence, conflict style, friendships, and even their future workplace behaviour. Most importantly, you will understand why each of your children is growing up in a completely different childhood, and how being aware of this helps you reduce friction, avoid unhelpful comparisons, and support healthier sibling relationships at home. With the tools and tips I share in this episode, you can start making meaningful changes today. So pour yourself a cuppa, find a comfy seat, and enjoy the conversation… Highlights from this episode: 02:00 - First borns outperform their younger siblings 05:38 - Germ theory 10:48 - The teaching effect 12:59 - Siblings find their niche 15:52 - Birth order impacts adult relationships 19:07 - Family roles impact self-image 22:04 - Every sibling has a different childhood 26:27 - We compare ourselves all the time 💚 Please share with at least one friend, and let’s build our village together 💚 For all previous episodes, and to submit episode topics you want me to talk about, visit 💚 For the free resource library, visit 💚 Join our campaign One Million Moments to reduce the number of children struggling with mental health challenges from 17% to 10% by 2025 💚 Brands and advertisers, email contact@drmaryhan.com DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You can listen to What Every Parent Needs to Know About Siblings online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

What Every Parent Needs to Know About Siblings is an episode from How Not to Screw Up Your Kids by Dr Maryhan.

This episode is 29:30 long.

This episode was published on Apr 29, 2026.

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