She’s An “Orchid Child,” And She’s Delving Into The Reasoning Behind Why Some Siblings Turn Out So Differently From Each Other Even Though They Grew Up In The Same Abusive Environment

Emily Chan |

May 17, 2023

iuricazac- Stock.Adobe.com, illustrative purposes only, not the actual children

Many people assume that kids who were brought up in the same home will be very similar to each other. But if the household is an abusive one, it can create some significant differences between siblings.

Each individual deals with trauma differently, which leads us to the topic of orchid children and dandelion children.

TikToker and certified hypnotherapist Judy Lee (@theorchidchild) happens to be an “orchid child,” and she’s delving into the reasoning behind why some siblings turn out so differently from each other even though they grew up in the same abusive environment.

“If you are raised in an unsafe household, and you have a brother or sister, I want you to ask yourself, is one of you guys way more sensitive than the other one?” started Judy.

And she’s not just talking about being emotionally sensitive. The type of sensitivity she’s talking about also includes sensitivities to sound, food, allergies, and clothing fabric.

When looking at siblings who were raised in a traumatic environment together, there always seems to be one who does really well and one who struggles a lot more.

Someone who is extremely resilient in an abusive household is called a “dandelion child.” They can thrive in pretty much any environment, like the dandelion flower itself.

But an “orchid child” is highly sensitive to their surroundings, so they can actually wither away in an abusive environment. They don’t weather stress as well as dandelion children.

However, research has demonstrated that when an orchid child is removed from their abusive environment and placed into a supportive, nurturing environment, they can end up surpassing their dandelion counterparts.

iuricazac- Stock.Adobe.com, illustrative purposes only, not the actual children

“I think the moral of the story is that as orchid children, it becomes doubly more important for us to find a beautiful community to be a part of,” concluded Judy.

Upon learning about these distinctions between siblings, many TikTok users shared which type of child they and their siblings are in the comments section.

“Seeing this and realizing my sister has a dandelion tattoo while I have an orchid tattoo and fitting these descriptions perfectly,” commented one user.

“My sister is an orchid, and I’m a dandelion, she suffered at my parents’ house – she’s in a safe and happy marriage now, watching her thrive is amazing,” wrote another.

“Wow, that’s very interesting. My older sister is 20 and is thriving, while I’m 16 and already known as the disappointment. Gives me hope to hear this,” expressed a third.

Are you an orchid or a dandelion child?

@theorchidchild

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