Triplets forced to wait 18 years to find out their birth order for truly touching reason

A family of triplets had their birth order kept from them until they turned 18 - and it turns out the reason is directly linked to birth order stereotypes.

There are so many theories out there about how our sibling status affects the way we act.

Tristan Collazo, a licensed therapist, has explored the concept that 'a person's birth order plays a major role in how an individual's personality is shaped'.

He explained that the eldest child often become 'perfectionists, people pleasers and authoritative'.

Middle children are likely to be 'peacemakers, rebellious and always gaining new abilities.'

And the youngest children 'may be outgoing and attention-seeking, feel inferior to their other siblings, hyper-dependant on others, more competitive to catch up with their siblings developmental level and may behave as if they're the only child.'

Now, of course, in our family set ups - unless you're an only child - you're likely to know if you're the eldest, or the youngest, or somewhere in between.

But what if you're a twin or a triplet, and your family held the birth order from you?

This is exactly what happened to one set of triplets, and they shared the reaction video of them finding out their order of birth online.

The triplets, made up of one girl and two boys, shared that they had to wait until their 18th birthday to find out.

The TikTok video shows them going through a range of emotions as they're let in on the secret.

At one point, they appear gobsmacked.

The video has since gone viral - gaining over 20 million views.

One person wrote: "Ha. Twin mom here and mine don’t know been wondering when to tell them, they’re twelve. You just gave me my answer."

Another person added: "I’m a twin and I can’t imagine my childhood without reminding my brother I’m 1 minute older!"

They then shared a follow-up video revealing their birth order.

It turns out that one of the boys, Wright, is the oldest. The second boy, Luke, was born second. And the girl, Janie - who uploaded the video - was born third, making her the youngest.

Now, the parents of the triplets, Stewart Hilbert and Clay Hilbert, have spoken to TODAY about their choice to keep it a secret for so long.

Stewart said: "We were like, alright, let’s just keep it a secret. It’ll be fun. They won’t have to subscribe to any of the stereotypes of oldest, middle, youngest, all that.”

She added: "It was a brilliant idea, though. In hindsight, it’s been really fun.”

Janie shared: "I did not want to be the youngest. That's the one thing I really hoped I hadn't been waiting 18 years to be the youngest, and then here we are.

"We all just bond. We really do. Our relationship with each other is really special.

"I don't think it has really changed much, but it's been interesting to think back about our childhood and think about whether we just naturally went into those roles."