Cousins may function better than siblings

As he arrived only Monday, it’s unlikely the fanfare surrounding the royal baby will die down any time soon. There are names to consider, photos to be seen, fashion choices to scrutinize and adorable waves from his sister to fawn over.

But once all that’s taken care of, the public might recall that just last weekend, several outlets reported that Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton’s sister, Pippa, is expecting her first child with husband James Matthews.

A royal baby cousin! Though not an actual royal, the son or daughter of Pippa and Matthews will likely spend much of childhood in the company of royalty, prompting the question as to whether the tight bonds between Kate and Pippa will lead to close relationships between their children.

So what is the effect of close-knit cousins in a family? Despite the wealth of studies on sibling dynamics, there’s hardly any research on the bonds between cousins. However, family psychologist Paul Donahue suggested that if families are close, cousins can be just as good — if not better — than siblings.

“The reality is, for a lot of families, cousins function as surrogate siblings,” said Donahue, author of “Parenting Without Fear.” “A lot of children can have a fondness for their cousins that has a little less jealousy than there is with siblings. There’s not quite as much rivalry, which is the real advantage that they have over siblings.

“Kids can have a really intense, close relationship with their cousins, but at the end of the day, they get to retreat to their own homes. That often preserves their bonds.”