Family Dynamics

I see in this picture the dynamic likely in our family for years to come.  Poor Isaac.

Family dynamics are a funny thing.  They can follow you your entire life.  The baby is forever the "baby" and the oldest tends to be the one to take charge.  And the middles live their lives as the most emotionally balanced of the set.

Or so the stereotypes go.

Jason and I are both the oldest in our families and I think it shows.  It has been interesting for me to watch the boys interact and see how birth order affects (and doesn't affect) them.  Josh definitely views himself as the enforcer.  Michael is a peacemaker.  And Ben fights for the right to hold his own as well as be treated as an equal and get special treatment for being the youngest all at the same time.

Of course, Isaac complicates the whole situation.

The older boys really love him, but they are their own group, their own cohort.  Even with the five year gap between Josh and Ben, they all share many of the same interests, play with the same toys, and often have the same friends (although that may end as Josh hits high school).

Isaac will likely have a very different toddlerhood than his brothers.  So many hands to help him and so many people to cater to his whims.  I imagine we'll skip the Dora the Explorer phase and head straight into Wild Kratts, bypass building blocks and go right into Legos.  I foresee him always trying to catch up to his big brothers and it being years before he manages to get there.

Poor Isaac.