os;s affect on personality.
             "As an old man, Leo Tolstoy once opined that the simplest relationships in life are those between brother and sister" (Goode 45). Sibling relationships are anything but simple. According to Erica Goode, even lesser mortals, lacking Tolstoy's acute eye and literary skill, recognize the power of the word "sibling" to reduce normally competent, rational human beings to bundles of anger, love, hurt, longing, and disappointment in a matter of minutes (45). About eighty percent of Americans have a sibling relationship, which normally outlasts marriages, and even parent/child relationships (45). "Sigmund Freud conceived of siblingship as a story of unremitting jealousy and competition" (46). Every child is pitted against one sibling or another in the battle for parental attention and recognition by others; many may not know it, but it happens.
             "Sibling relationships shape how people feel about themselves, how they understand and feel about others, and even how much they achieve" (46). If a family member tells children that they are incompetent, they begin to believe that they are. According to Erica Goode's theory, brothers and sisters do not really share the same family at all (47). Each child grows up in unique families based on how he or she perceives that family and each situation in experiences. Families by far have the greatest impact on a person's personality and their perception on life. As teenagers, children feel anger and resentment towards siblings, however as they grow older they develop a stable and healthy relationship. Each birth order position has its own unique characteristics, but it is greatly affected by the family environment.
             What would it be like to get the undivided attention from parents? In order to find out, one must ask an only child. Since their birth is considered a miracle, the child is favored greatly. He o...