Is a 6 year difference between siblings too much?

Question

My daughter is 5, and is asking for a sister or brother. My husband and I have been discussing this. Is a 6 year age difference between the siblings too much of a difference. Any ideas? Thanks!

Answer 1

Well, my sister and I are 6 years apart. And my 2 boys are right at 6 years apart. I see no trouble with it. The 6 year old can do alot of things for himself, so I don't feel like I'm not being there for him as much as I should. He likes to "help" with the baby(getting diapers, playing with him, picking out his clothes). My brother and I were about a year and a half apart, and my mom said it was crazy. With the bigger age gap, you only have one in diapers, and the other one will be in school. It's so much easier, and you can be happy knowing you were able to give them both alot of time and attention their first years.

Answer 2

depends For me it was not a good thing
My brother and i are five years apart and now in our 20's we love each other but we don't like each other very much. I was a year early in school so when i graduated high school we was still in junior high. i went to college and came home for two summers and a Christmas before getting an apartment and a job. I did not come home as much then so i missed his high school years. We never connected over girls or how to get by because i was not around to talk to for advice We never had anything in common and he always felt like he should be able to do what i was doing even though there was a difference in age. We are not friends and probably will never be.
However i know others who are five or more years apart and get along great with their siblings so their is no way of knowing
If you and your husband want another child have one don't worry about the difference

I will say this don't make daughter the third parent. My parents did not do this and i am grateful. I have seen parents that have kids with big age gaps to this. This breeds resentment and hate. Let her be a child. Not saying she can't babysit every now and then or do stuff but she shouldn't be the one taking her to and from school later on in life

Answer 3

I guess it's a matter of personal opinion - my best friend had her kids 2 years apart, all three of them. Me, I have an 18 year old daughter, a 9 year old son and a 2 year old son. Didn't plan it that way, but that's how it happened and I don't mind the age difference at all. In fact, I think it gave me more time to appreciate and bond with each child since when each one was born, the older sibling was old enough not only to take care of themselves somewhat, but also able to be involved in the baby's care as well. So, while it's not for everyone - I definetly think that there is nothing wrong with it. Good luck.

Answer 4

I am 35. I have a sister who is turning 41 on the 19th of this month and a brother who just turned 30 on the 2nd of this month. In my experience, I would say yes, 6 years is a HUGE difference between siblings. I don't really have anything in common with either of them. We really only get together at family functions and we all live right here in the same city. It's really kinda sad. Of course all families are different. I was just speaking about my own experience.

Answer 5

In my family I was the oldest with an age gap of 5yrs , 7yrs and 8 yrs between my siblings and I . Now during our adolescent years we were all close , the toughest period though was when we all hit our teens . When I hit mine firstly I wanted my own space and seperated from them to hang with older kids . This phase ended though when my following sibling was in his late teens and we became close again . As for the others that gap became telling as they viewed me as one of the adults and not a sibling , this feeling has only recently subsided . The effects though have been telling as that closeness has been lost.
Despite this the gap will not be a problem once you as the parents get involved and foster the relationships you would like between your kids.Teach them how to treat each othe and try not to show any bias.

Answer 6

No, my sister and I are 18 yrs apart and the people across the complex (we live in an apartment) have a 12 yr old and are expecting their secound child in December. I know a woman who had hers five years apart. My mom and her half brother are (my grandpa only biological children) more then 20 years apart. I think it's okay and at this age she'll be able to help a little and be excited about doing it (at least for a while)

Answer 7

No, it's acctually very healthy(in my opinion) I am 16 and I have two 23 year olf brothers and a 21 year old brother. They look after me, and it takes some of the stress off parenting. And free babysitting. Plus, older children usually react better to babys because they understand and they can be more involved w/ helping out

Answer 8

Heck NO........................ my daughter is nearly 6 years older than her brother, she loved him right off and played mother, now there grown and my son and daughter are so close its a joy to see, besides that the age gap does help as the jealousy angle is less and they truly accept each other, ps my children are 34 and 28 and my son is leaning on the shoulder of his big sis through a rel/ship b/up

Answer 9

there is no problem at all! i am an English teacher in Greece and most of the children i teach have siblings either 6years older or younger. i myself have a sister 4years younger than me from both my parents.then my parents divorced and i have a brother 14 years younger than me and a sister 17 years younger than me from my dads second marriage. and twin brother and sister 19years younger than me from my mums second marriage.it may sound like a mixed up situation but we are all so close that nothing else matters

Answer 10

I think it depends on the family. There are goods and bads to both. My son and daughter are 4 years apart and I wanted to have them no more than 5 years apart. My mom's closest sister was 13 years older than her. She always told me she felt lonely growing up.