What Your Birth Order Can Predict About Your Marriage

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There are a number of things that shape you into the person you become as an adult. But few are as hardwired as your family dynamics—especially your birth order.

Fact is, only children's ingrained personality traits can be very different than, say, those who were the babies of their families, creating for some interesting pairings when we all grow up and choose our life partners. Find your birth order (and your significant other's!) below to see what you might be able to expect when you two get hitched.

If you're the oldest: Let's be frank, oldest children tend to be a bit bossy. After all, they spent most of their childhoods ordering around their younger siblings! But they also are amazing caretakers who are loyal, trustworthy, and caring toward their younger family members. If you're an oldest child, you might be headstrong, but you'll be super nurturing toward your spouse. 

If you're the youngest: After spending most of your life being babied, and maybe getting all the attention, too, you might expect the same level of doting from your life partner. However, you may have also spent many childhood years getting teased by older siblings, meaning that you've also developed a thick skin over the years, as well. For you, the ideal partner is someone who can coddle you, just a little bit, but also challenge you. 

If you're in the middle: When we talk about middle children, we usually focus on how they might have been overlooked during childhood, while the oldest and youngest got all the attention. But the amazing thing about being in the middle is that you more than likely were able to duck under the radar, stay out of family drama, and even flex your skills as peacemaker when your siblings fought with each other. In a marriage, you're great at staying neutral and calm, even in crazy situations, and you're also pretty good at being independent, which allows you and your partner some much-needed me-time. 

If you're an only: Like oldests, only children tend to be strong-willed. Like youngests, they may have been showered with attention. And, like middles, they're usually pretty independent since they didn't grow up with siblings to play with. If you're an only, you may have some territorial issues (since you never had to share!) when it comes to living with your partner, but your take-charge approach to life will be much appreciated when you can't figure out which restaurant to go to for dinner and someone needs to make a decision.