There
is a generous amount of discussion about how a child feels and behaves
when a new baby brother or sister arrives. Some children are pleased and
excited, some are not, and almost all experience some jealousy
regarding the attention the new infant receives. The older child is
accustomed to receiving lots of notice from the parents, and now he or
she has to share that attention. It's not unusual for signs of sibling
rivalry to show up.
What is discussed less is the nature of the
family before the second baby, when the family consists of only the
parents and one child, what a family triangle is like. This is an
interesting system in and of itself, whether another child ever arrives
or not. When another child does arrive, though, there are adjustments
for everyone, not just the firstborn, as the triangle takes on a new
geometric shape.
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