Ronald and Lois,married for two decades, consider themselves a happy couple,but in the early years of their marriage, both were disturbed by persistent arguments that seemed to fade away without ever being truly resolved.They uncovered clues to what was going wrong by researching a fascinating subject:how birth order (whether you came along first, second or later in your family)affects not only your personality,but also how compatible you are with your mate
Ronald and Lois are only children, and "onlies" grow up accustomed to being the apples of their parents' eyes. They're not necessarily spoiled-just used to constant attention and approval. Match two onlies and you have partners who subconsciously expect each other to continue fulfilling this expectation, while neither has much experience in the "giving" end.The habit of trying to dominate a relationship and taking it personally when your spouse does the same can result in quarrels that sound alike from one onlies household to another.
All those patterns set in motion by birth and gender order don't prescribe what must occur; they simply describe tendencies that may need to be recognized or overcome.
Here's list of common birth-order characteristics-and some thoughts on the best (and worst) marital matches for each: