pArEnTaL roLe

Mom.

A mother is a woman who has, conceived, given birth to, and raised a child. Because of the complexity and differences of a mothers' social, cultural, and religious definitions and roles, it is challenging to define a mother to suit a universally accepted definition.

Dad.

A father is defined as a male parent of any type of offspring. The adjective "paternal" refers to father, parallel to "maternal" for mother.

Firstborn Child.

Birth order is defined as a person's rank by age among his or her siblings. Birth order is often believed to have a profound and lasting effect on psychological development. This assertion has been repeatedly challenged by researchers, yet birth order continues to have a strong presence in pop psychology and popular culture.
The more older brothers a man has, the more likely he is to be gay. On average, secondborns experience better results in career and wealth.
In the 1970s, it was discovered that firstborn children have higher than average intelligence. The latest studies find that there's no particular benefit to being firstborn, but there is a benefit to being born into a small family. Since firstborns are more likely to be born into small families, they are statistically more likely to have high intelligence.

Middle Child.

Middle children are quite often the most difficult children to both read and to raise. Middle children are quite often referred to as the "Mysterious Middle Child", this is due in large part to the fact that there are two types of middle born children. Tese two types of middle borns are not as clearly defined as the two types of first borns, they do not possess simple "names", therefore for confusion's sake we will refer to them as Middle Born #1 and Middle Born #2.

Youngest.

Being the youngest child in a family has definite advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, babies are fussed over and pampered. They enjoy special status in the pecking order and often get away with behavior that other family members can't. On the other hand, many youngest children feel that they never quite measure up to their more experienced and accomplished siblings. To borrow a phrase from a famous comedian, they get no respect.
Psychologists use a variety of words to describe last-borns: affectionate, sensitive, people-oriented, attention-seeking, indulged, dependent, laid-back, tenacious, absent-minded, relaxed, fun, flaky.

Only Child.

An only child is a child with no siblings, either biological or adopted. Although first-born children may be temporarily considered only children, and have a similar early family environment, the term only child is generally applied only to those individuals who never have siblings. An "only child", however may have half-siblings or step-siblings who come along considerably late (after they reach their teens) and still be considered an "only child". Children with much older siblings (generally ten or more years) may also have a similar family environment to only children.
Families may have an only child for a variety of reasons, including: family planning, financial and emotional or physical health issues, stress in the family, time constraints, fears over pregnancy, advanced age, infertility, personal preferences, divorce, and death of a sibling or parent. Under the One-child policy in Mainland China, subject to local relaxations and individual circumstances, urban parents are generally prohibited by law to have more than one child.
Only children are often subject to a stereotype that equates them with spoiled brats in Western countries. In China, the phenomenon of Little Emperor Syndrome has been observed.
In recent years, the number of families in the United States choosing to have one child has increased by more than 30%. New York City is famous for residents with increasingly popular single-child families. This can be attributed mainly to socioeconomic, educational, career, and financial factors. A similar trend is also prevalent in Europe, where only children are widespread and common.

Adopted.

Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting for another who is not kin and, in so doing, permanently transfers all rights and responsibilities from the original parent or parents. Unlike guardianship or other systems designed for the care of the young, adoption is intended to effect a permanent change in status and as such requires societal recognition, either through legal or religious sanction. Historically some societies have enacted specific laws governing adoption whereas others have endeavored to achieve adoption through less formal means, notably via contracts that specified inheritance rights and parental responsibilities. Modern systems of adoption, arising in the 20th century, tend to be governed by comprehensive statutes and regulations.