Is a Five Year Age Difference Too Much for Siblings to Be Close Friends?

Yes, it's usually too much of a difference. They will love each other, but they probably won't be close friends, until possibly they are adults. But even adults are often not close friends with their siblings, depending on their personalities. Plus, there is never a guarantee of kids being close friends, no matter how close in age they are.

So that's not a good reason to have another child. But if you want another child, have one.

My brother and I are 5 years apart and we are very close and we always have been. I have three kids - ages 13, 10 and 6. They are all extremely close.

I have siblings and we are all within 3 years apart, and we do not get along. Never did. Especially one of them.
Now as adults we just sort of put up with each other. But no genuine liking-each other type thing.

It is a real myth, that kids/people close in age will get along and be sibling-friends.
It is not, true.
I have 2 kids that are 4 years apart, and they are very close and genuinely like each other.

Having a "close sibling" has NOTHING to do with, age gaps.
I also know people who have siblings 4 years older or more, and they are very, close. My Husband's family is like that. For example.

Age gaps between kids, do NOT make kids get along or not.
Siblings do NOT always get along or like each other nor are "friends" regardless of the age gaps.

Your children may or may not get along but it will be based on personality more than age.

There are going to be times when they are not super close. A 15 year old has different interests and friends than a 10 year old. But at 20 and 25 they could be very close.

My mom gets along swimmingly with her sister who is 10 years older. She isn't close with her sister who is 15 years older. I am 19 months younger than my sister. We got along great as children. As adults, we have very little in common. I love her dearly but, given a choice, I would not be friends with her.

Have another child because you want one, not because you want to provide your other child with an instant friend. Assuming that your children of any age difference will be close and factoring that into your reasoning behind having children is unrealistic and may set you up for disappointment. Whether or not they are close has nothing to do with age.

My older sister and I are two years apart and have always traveled in separate orbits despite going to the same schools all the way through high school. She went to college out if state and hasn't come back. We see her once or twice and year and talk maybe once every few months. There's no animosity, but we just have little in common.

My younger sister and I are almost 5 years apart. She called me "mommy" when she was little, we slept in the same bed by choice for years when she was small, and she was my very welcome shadow until I was in high school and our scheduled just didn't mesh anymore. She lived out of state for 10 years and we talked on the phone every few days. She now lives nearby and we see each other almost every weekend.

My two younger brothers were 14 months apart and fought almost every day of their lives.

You just can't tell how siblings will take to each other. So have another child because you want to, not because you have expectations for their relationship.

Age may have some effect, but you CAN NOT guarantee or force your kids to be friends. They are individuals with their own personalities. I have a sister that is 2.5 years younger than I am and we have absolutely nothing in common. I would not hang out with her. We've never been close. I LOVE her but I just have no connection to her personally other than as family.

My older sister (different parent marriage) is 20 years older than I am and we are the best of friends. Obviously when we were kids, it was more parental, but as I have gotten older, we have gotten closer. We connected when I hit my teens and she's my BFF now (at 45).

This isn't me, but I have a friend who is the youngest of 12. She is closest to her oldest and middle siblings, who range from about 10 years older to 20 years older than she is, maybe more. She is much less close to her siblings who are closer to her in age. So the difference may not matter a lot.

I would add that it's possibly not always wise to have children where a "major reason" for having them is so that another child who's already here will have a "close sibling" who is a good friend. I know many families where the siblings are just that, siblings, and not really friends who share everything, whose personalities mesh, or who feel emotionally close for their whole lives. Being siblings is zero guarantee that two people will have anything at all in common other than some shared experiences that may or may not bond them together. If having a playmate and friend for your son is a large part of your motivation for having a second child, ask yourself reall frankly and honestly how you will feel -- for many years to come --- if it turns out the two kids are just not close as you picture them being. Can you be OK with that, or will it be a real, lifelong source of pain for you if the kids just aren't as close as you had hoped? Just something to think very hard about before committing to a second child. I'm not saying don't do it; I'm just saying to look very hard at how you will feel and cope if your children are not close buddies, and how the child you have now will feel about adding a sibling to his life.

There are no guarantees with any age difference that siblings will or won't get along or be close.

My brother is 6 years younger than me. We have never been close. Of course we don't hate each other... we are just very different.

I have an only child, daughter, almost 19 with absolutely NO regrets. I would not think of bringing another child into the world "for her". I never had an urge to have another child because I felt complete.

Every family is different and ours is perfect just like it is with the 3 of us being a close tightknit team.

There's no guarantee that they will be close even if they are identical twins. My sister and I are three years apart, and while I love her and would die for her, we don't have a lot in common outside the gene pool. Growing up, we just dind't have the same interests. She liked to play with Barbie dolls. I liked to climb trees. She liked Olivia Newton-John, I liked KISS. She watched LIttle House on the Prairie, I watched Batman and Star Trek. She always made sure her bra, and panties matched - I didn't care if I wore underwear at all.

How much age difference will there be if you wait longer?

There are siblings who are practically twins - or are twins - in age who are never close in heart, or who drift apart eventually. There are siblings years apart in age who become very close - especially after they've grown up.

My two sons are a little over five years apart in age. They laughed, fought, played with, and put up with one another. They're pretty good friends now, even though they live in different parts of the country and do different things. It's hard to ask (reasonably) for much more than that.

Our niece and her husband have four daughters. The youngest just turned four. The eldest just started college (at seventeen). All the girls have their own friends and interests, but they love their siblings - most of the time - and, what is more to the point here, they LIKE one another.

Please welcome your next child as a person in his/her own right who will make a wonderful contribution to your family.

I think personality has more to do with it than age. I'm much, much closer to my sister who is 7 years younger than my sister who's only 2 and a half years younger.

My older sister is 2 years older than I am and we grew up very close...shared friends, clothes, interests, etc. My younger sister is 6 years younger than I am, with two brothers in between.

I didn't like my younger sister until she was older...and I mean that in the nicest of ways. We joke that she was 12 because I was 18 and then an adult. But being the middle girl was h*** o* me for a lot of reasons. However, she and I are SO close now. I am 30 and she is 24 (will be 25 in a few weeks).

She has a 4 year old daughter and just had a miscarriage, but plans to try again soon, her kids will be 5-6 years apart as well. My kids are all just shy of 2 years each and very close.

I have friends who have kids every year and others who have a 5-7 year range. I honestly think it all depends on the parenting and the kids personalities. So I wouldn't decide if you want another kid just hoping for a close relationship...there are so many more variables that go into this in addition to the age gap.

My husband and his brother are 5.5 years apart and they are the best of friends. They totally adore each other, talk on the phone all the time, and are like two peas in a pod! They really really enjoy each other as adults anyway. I was never there to see them as kids but his little brother always looked up to him and really wanted to copy him all the time. They have a sister in the middle and they all love each other but neither is as close to her. Maybe bc they are opposite sex? I don't know. She has different interests where they are both almost like twins of each other in their interests! Our kids, coincidentally, are 5.5 years apart. They are a boy and a girl. It has it's challenges having them be so far apart, but I am SO HAPPY we had a 2nd child. The little one adores the big one and copies everything. The big one often gets annoyed with his little sister...yet he loves her very much.

I don't think that it is realistic that they will be close as kids. The age gap, the gap in maturity will just always be too much.

However, childhood is short and I believe that even with a large age gap they can be close for the remaining 60 or 70 years of their lives. My DH's siblings are 5, 10 and 12 years older than him. All 4 never had much in common as kids - I mean his sister and oldest brother were off to college while DH was still in elementary... but as adults they all have a wonderful and close relationship to each other.

So you have to think about this in the long run, they may never be buddies as kids but that doesn't mean that they won't be close in the future.

I have a sister who is three years younger than me. We grew up pretty close. And remain close now. I also have a brother who is 7 years younger and a sister who is 6 years younger. Growing up there was love and affection for each other, but not a real closeness. Fast forward to now. I am 39 and my little brother calls me almost daily on his break from work. We talk about everything under the sun. We are extremely close. My sister calls me at least weekly and we text each other constantly. Again, very close, very bonded.

But I know twins who can't stand each other. I also know siblings close in age that bicker constantly. I wouldn't stress too much on the age gap.

My kids (boy/girl) are five years apart and now that they are grown up they get along great. They live about 90 minutes away from each other and get together often. When they were growing up, it was a different story. They didn't have a lot in common and had competing activities. However, sometimes big brother would go out of his way to do things to help little sister and it was heartwarming to see.

My brother is 11 years older than me and my sister is 6 years older than me. My mom and dad planned it that way, one in school and start over! We are all friends, and my older brother was a babysitter for me. Each family is different, but you are an adult a lot longer than you are a child. I think it's fine!

My Mom's friend has 3 daughters, they are very close and they are each 5 yrs apart from each other.
But there is no guarantee that siblings will be close at all no matter what their differences in ages are.
My sister and I are 22 months apart in age and we still fight like cats and dogs (she just turned 50 and I'll be 52 come Dec).
It's nice when they are compatible but it's non stop bickering till they grow up and move out if they are not.
I never ever wanted to put our son what I went through so he is an only child, loves it that way and we're all very happy about it.
Growing up with my sister was living heck.
I always wished my Mom stopped at one but she says she had my sister 'so I wouldn't be lonely'.
Gee - thanks a lot Ma.
To this day my scalp has no feeling from all the hair pulling out I grew up with.

IMO, yes. From personal experience and I've witnessed it in other families as well. Only my opinion.

My cousins are 6 years apart and they are very close. They are adults now boy and girl the boy being the oldest. The cousin that's a girl has a boy and girl 6 years apart the boy being the oldest and they are very close. They are 12 and 6 but love each other. I think it depends on the kids and how much you involve them with each other. Good luck with your decision.

They wouldn't be playmates when they're younger necessarily (how many 7 year olds have the same interests as a 2 year old, or a 13 year old wanting to play the same games as an 8 year old?) but they could still be close. And they could be amazing friends as adults. My brother and I are a little over four years apart and we were "friendly" as kids. We didn't play together all the time, but when he was 12 and I was 16 we loved to play tricks on our parents and spend time together. And now that we're both in our 30s, he's my absolute best friend in the world.

Hi Bumblebee! My nephews are 8 years apart and are as close as two siblings can be. I think its so sweet to watch the older one play and teach his younger brother. Of course they are siblings and fuss and fight every now and again, but that is going to happen no matter the age difference or gender!

Then there are my girls who are 4 years apart (8 and 4) and they mostly fight and argue. Sigh. I know one day they will love each other dearly (and there are moments when they do get along) but not so much right now. But I wouldn't trade in either of them and it is just what it is.

So I say go for it, he needs a sibling!

well - I have 2 younger sisters. One is 7 years younger and one is 10 years younger. Growing up, I was never close with them. (they were very close) BUT , once I was around 22-23 years old surprisingly I became VERY close with my youngest sister. Now I'm 34 and she's 25 and we are best friends. I never really developed the really close relationship with my sister who was 7 years younger.

I didn't get along with my sister as kids, but now we're best friends.

Honestly, though, if you're having a baby only for your son, you might want to rethink whether or not one child is right for your family. I'm pregnant with our second, and our first is 6, will be 7 when the baby is born. Sure, I'm happy she's going to have a brother or sister, and so is she, but I wouldn't have had one just so she could have a sibling, my husband and I decided because we feel that one more child will make our family complete.

I have 4 girls, 13,7,4,3. If I could do one thing different it would have been waiting to have DD#2......now I feel like I have 1 "big one" and 3 lil ones so it's hard. For example, we go to Disneyland about 3X a month, the lil ones can't ride the rides that the big one can so she always gets stuck riding the baby rides. The big rides always have 45+min lines, and the 3 lil ones will just go crazy if they have to wait for big sis to go on a 45+min ride, know what I mean? it's like they are in different worlds. Also, my 13 y/o is very jealous of my 7 year old, she feels like she "robbed" me from her, because it was just me and her for such a long time and then came DD2, so yes she resents her a bit for that, but strangely she doesn't not resent DD3 & 4, although I did my best to make my oldest feel involved and just as loved as her new baby sis. As far as them getting along..... sometimes they do, sometimes they don't but if one is sick or not feeling well....they are all her nurses and they will all go out of their way to make that sister feel better. I have 5 siblings, I get along with all except for the one closest in age to me (shes 2 yrs older)......I still say go for it, it's sooooo worth it!!

Please dont let that stop you from having #2. My sibling is 4+ years older and we are very close now. It ebbed and flowed and I'm sure I bugged her at times as I'm younger but I think she's been more glad to have me than not even as kids. As adults, absolutely. My friend has a sister about a year older and can't stand her. Never could. So go figure. As someone said, adulthood is way longer than childhood. And it just livened things up to have 2 kids.

I have a five month old and basically a seven year old (Oct 25). My first loves her more than I'd ever imagine, no jealousy or anything. My friend kept telling me that when they are the only child, that by the time they are around six years, they are established as the only child, regardless if siblings enter the picture later on...boy was she wrong! Every day when I pick my daughter up from school, she sees little sis in her carseat and is ecstatic, and can't wait to get home to do tummy time with her while I cook dinner and before my husband comes home. She loves her so much, and I'm like you, life got in the way, but then we decided we wanted a sibling for her as well, considering I am close to my three sisters. I don't believe you have waited too long though. My oldest sister is six years older than me, and we are so close!

In my experience my sister and I are not close and never will be. We are 7.5 yrs apart I'm the younger one. We just don't get along I've tried because of the kids but we don't talk when we all get together we end up fighting within a few hours so I've come to realize I will never have a sister relationship

I think it's kind of a roll of the dice.

Some of it will depend on the personalities of the children. My kids, 3 years apart, are each other's best friends. One of my friends has daughters 3 years apart. They barely tolerate each other.

Also, there may be times when siblings are close, and times when developmentally they are in such different places that they may find it hard to relate to one another. There are three years between my brother and me. At 4 and 7 we did pretty well. At 9 and 12 we were close. At 13 and 16 we might as well have been from different planets. As adults we enjoy each other, and I think we'd be quite close if we didn't live across the country from one another.

My husband is from a large family. The brother he is closest to as an adult is 15 years older than him. The brother who is only 2 years older than him is the one with whom he's had the most difficult relationship, although as both have reached middle age, they are finally growing close.

My brother and I and 5 years apart and due to the relationship we have my husband and I decided to have our children this far apart as well.
My brother and I have always got along with the typical up and downs that all siblings go through. We talk almost daily and even though he is the younger one he has always had my back. We still pick on each other but have always been close.
Now my children are only a week from being exactly 5 years apart. My son is older with my daughter of course being the youngest. They remind me of me and my brother. Again they have their moments but I know he always has her best interest if something should happen.
Now I have seen siblings that are close in age that argue and fight and then you have ones that are far apart and there is more of a sitter/parent relationship (my husband is this way with his brother and sister with him being the oldest and a 9 and 11 year difference between). I also think it depends on the family and the kids personality. I got lucky with my two, but you can't expect them to be friends depending on age. They could fight constantly while younger and be the best of friends when they grow up or visa versa

Age is no guarantee of closeness. A 4 and a 10 year old are really not going to "play" together and be best friends, but kids who are 2-3 years apart may not be best buds, and a 6 year old boy and 3 year old girl may not have much in common or interest in playing together either. Siblings are great, no matter the age difference. My two sisters are 17 months apart in age. Once they got to be school aged, they didn't get along well, didn't have similar interests and did not have common friends. Through their school years and teen years, they each did their own thing with their own friends and did not choose to spend time together. They were not close until they were both in their 20's and between them, had five kids in a five year time span. They finally had something in common. They are 9 and almost 11 years older than me, and in our 40's and 50's, we are close but I have more in common with each of the sisters than they have with each other. With the big age difference, the oldest pretty much ignored me til she got married and left home (when I was 9) - the other sister was around til I was almost 12 and she paid a lot of attention to me, but we were certainly not peers.
My own children are 4 years apart by my choice. I loved not having them super close together. I didn't assume siblings would be built in best friends. I loved having 4 years of giving all of myself to my daughter, and love now being able to focus just on my son during his teen years now that my daughter has left for college :)

Not as adults. They can still be close as sibling, but not so much play mates I would guess.

My girls are 4 and bit years apart and they are the best of friends. But I see other kids all around me who don't really enjoy each other's company. I think it has a lot to do with luck - whether your kid's personalities "mesh" well or not. Of course treating each other with respect should be a given, no matter what, and that is something you as a family can live through example.

Definitely NOT!

My sisters and I are all very close. I am 10 years away from my oldest, and 11 years older than my youngest (twins) then I have 2 more on each side about 5-6 years away from me (I am the middle).

This means, there are 21 years between the oldest girl in our family and the youngest, the twins. My oldest sis is closer in age to our mom (19 years) than the twins, her youngest sisters!

At various points growing up we have all had chances to build our own special closeness, regardless of our age differences. I grew closest to my next youngest (5 yrs down) sister when I was in High school and would drive her to school every day. I also grew closest to my most oldest (10 years up) sister when I was in HS because she was teaching HS at the time, and we would share stories about our schools. Also her husband was working for Disney at the time and she loved to take me and all my teenage pals to Disneyland on her pass. I grew closer to my next oldest sister (6 years up) when I was in college and me and all my college buddies would go visit her and stay at her apartment by the beach.

To be honest I am probably least close to my twin sisters (11 years down) because they share this creepy twin closeness among themselves that none of the rest of the sisters can crack, but I have my own special bond with them too because I was such an impressionable age when they were born, and helped take care of them from babies to age 7 when I left for college.

Now the twins are both getting married this year and we are all sharing a new closeness with them as they enter this new page of adulthood :)

Don't worry about the age difference. Positive sibling relationships are nurtured through shared experience and family closeness no matter what!

All families are different and all kids are different. It's more of your family dynamic that will drive their closeness. Of course they will be on different courses in life - when your older one goes to college you will still have a kid in middle school. But so what?

I definitely had a generation gap from my brother and sister - but now that we are older and are married with kids - the playing field has evened out and we are closer than ever!

There are many different experiences. I was the youngest of three. My sister was 4 years older than me, my brother 2. I was SUPER close with my brother growing up. My sister just seemed to be too busy and just treated me like she didn't have time for me. However, now that we are both older and moms, we are definitely closer. She lives in another town and we don't really talk on the phone much but when we do get together its fun! :) (However, I also live 5 houses away from my brother and my husband and him are close friends also.)

My girls are 2 years apart and get along great. My hope is they are best friends growing up and right now it looks like they'll be close but who knows....

My sisters kids are also close to 2 years apart and want nothing to do with each other. You just never know.

Regardless, if they will be best friends or not, they will be blood and that will always make the difference especially as they get older.

My best friend is 7 years younger then I am. Oh, she's also my sister!

I would not expect it to be too realistic as kids, but as adults the chances are greater. Personally I grew up with out a close relationship to my siblings and it grew stronger once we were all adults. I do not feel that I missed out on anything personally.

My sons are almost five years apart. They are like most siblings. Friends forever who have occasional lapses and ups and downs. I am fairly certain they will remain besties forever.

My two are 6 years apart and I love it. My daughter was a month into Kindergarten when her brother was born. I am able to give all my attention to him while she's at school, just like she got all the attention before. She also adores her baby brother and at this age she has the ability to really understand why the baby is first in some situations. She's a wonderful helper.

My sister and I are 9 years apart, but generally got along fine. My brother and I are 4 years apart and fought like cats and dogs, but I would have done and will do anything for him. We're family, even if he's a butthead.

My husband's 3 younger siblings are all 4 years apart. He gets along well with them, but it's only now that they are becoming college age that they are becoming true friends. He and his baby sister are over 20 years apart, this is obviously not a close relationship (she's only 2-3 years older then our own daughter). He loves her, but they just never bonded since we live out of state. I have no doubt that he would do anything for her no matter what. That's how we were raised. Hell or high water you look after family.

I have 2 sets of cousins both 7 years apart and both girl and boy - they are best friends and never really had too many fights growing up. However when the older one was a teenager, the younger one would feel left out because they couldn't do the same things as the older one. My nieces are 3 years apart and fight constantly. My girlfriend has a sister about 3 years younger that she doesn't speak to. I have one son - 10 years old. I chose not to have any more kids even though I was feeling guilty that he wouldn't have a sibling, But my son likes being an only child. My nieces are like his sisters. He has a lot of other cousins his age and he has a lot of friends. It seems like the kids with the bigger age gaps got along better because they weren't really at the same stage of life at the same time and the older ones were more understanding that mom had to take care of a younger child.

But I also don't think the age difference matters as much as the kids' personalities. You can't guarantee that your kids will be close no matter what the age difference. You can only raise them the best you can and hope for the best. You should have another child if you want to have another child. But your son will be fine either way.

Hope this helps.

My girls are 4 years apart. They are 18 and 14 now and are truly closer to one another than I have ever been with my sister who is only 18 months younger. My girls have never attended the same school at the same time, older dgtr was in a magnet program and placed in a different elementary school the 2 years they could have been together in the same neighborhood school. We made it work, and it did!

They are so stereotypical birth order kids, #1 was great student, great leadership, good at sports and very popular. #2 has dyslexia, works harder to make b's than her sister ever did, has been on the "cut" list more than the "yes" list for more tryouts and auditions than I can fathom and above all is the most comfortable "in her own skin" kid that I've ever known.

I often struggle with "we did this for her sister" type comparisons, and my infinitely wiser younger daughter continues to tell me to just let her be her own dang self, not a photo copy of big sis.

Four to five years apart is PERFECT! They never had the knock down crazy fights so many of my friends tell me about with their children. Enjoy!

My girls are extremely close despite a 5 year age gap.

My nephew is 5 years older then his next brother. The younger two are 2 years apart. The younger two shared interests and played together a lot, but the older one just was at different stages of development and growth so he did not really relate to them well, but that does not mean they did not love each other, and stand up for each other. They may not be best friends, but that does not mean they will not be close loving siblings.

I think they will have the potential to be closer because they won't be in competition for anything. Big brothers are awesome! I have 2 of them! Big brothers, in my experience, are protectors, teachers, coaches, mentors, helpers, saviors, therapists, playmates, buddies, and sometimes big pains in the butt!

Don't let the age difference stop you.

It's the family that makes the closeness (for the most part), not the difference in age.

Our kids are 24, 22, 19, and 8, and they are incredibly close!

One of my best friends has siblings who are 4, 13, and 16 years older than she is. She's 50. They were all always genuinely close and remain so to this day.

I have several other friends who have large gaps between siblings, and again, they are all close.

The common denominator in all of these examples is that the family units are/were very strong. Lots of love and shared experiences throughout the family life cycle.

There is a great book, "Traits of Healthy Family" by Delores Curren. I used to use it when I taught marriage and family classes to undergraduates. If you can find it on Amazon, it is worth your time to read it. The characteristics of healthy, strong families are much more important in developing strong relationships than age differences in siblings.

Hope that helps.

J. F.

There is no perfect age separation for kids. My sister is 5.5 years older than me. We are best friends now. I always looked up to her but I don't think she considered me to be a friend until I was in high school. Our relationship was probably one way admiration for the bulk of my childhood. She was in school by the time I was born, so in some respects I was like an only child. For me, this was great! I got extra one on one time with my parents and got the benefit of having siblings.

There is no guarantee that siblings will get along, so I wouldn't base having a 2nd child solely on how he/she will get along with your son.

My brother is 15 years older than I am and my sister is 11 years older. We're very close but it's been since we've all become older, they were out of the house not too long after I was born, by the time I started school for sure. SO it would have been hard for us to bond over childhood things.

But we're close. I talk to my sister every day. We're very different too. She's in her 60's and was basically raised to be an excellent homemaker. I was raised to go to work. She's a Jehovah's Witness and I go to the LDS church when I go.

She's tiny and has high cholesterol. I am overweight and have low cholesterol.

Total different lifestyles but still close.

My brother owns his own business and has been married 5 times. He's a happy go lucky kind of guy. I get along with him just fine.

Personality will play a huge part in it. They could be super close, or hate each other. My sister and I were 3 years apart and never got along as kids or teens. She spent way too much time being angry that I was older and got to do things she wasn't allowed to do yet.

She and our first brother are only 1 year apart and were close playmates.

Our youngest brother is 12 years younger than me. Too young to be a playmate or a rival.

I'm one of 7 children, and am very close to my youngest sister, who is 11 years younger than me. It was very sad for both of us when I left home and had to leave her behind, living in the neglectful circumstances of our house.

She keeps me young, I offer sage advice.

As long as you role model healthy relationships and how to resolve differences and respect each other, I see no reason why your children would not be close.

I also have a 25 yo daughter and she is very close to my 14 and 11 yo kids at home. They all love each other and look forward to being together and enjoy being together.

Age isn't what makes siblings close or not.
My first 2 are a couple months shy of 3 years apart. When my third was born, my other 2 were 8 & 5.
They all get along. They all fight. Depends on the day. The older 2 can be very protective of their little sister. Other days they can pick on her to no end. All 3 share a lot of the same interests. All 3 have their own individual interests.
All in all though. I do not regret the age difference between my 3 children at all. They all love each other very much and I know that's not going to change. They are close siblings.
My brother and I are 4 years apart and we're close and great friends now. We had our good days and bad days growing up. That's all a part of being siblings.

My kids (boy and girl) are exactly 5 years apart (yes, they share the same birthday) and have always been very close to each other (both young adults now). I don't think it's the # of years between kids, but the encouragement and support from parents to foster a lasting friendship between sibs.

Out of all my siblings I am coldest with my sister who is 10 years younger than me. I helped out with her a lot when we were young. I am expecting a baby in a few months and my daughter will be almost 5 1/2 when she is born so I'm in the same boat as you. Ill tell you that my daughter is so excited to be a big sister and wants to be a helper for mommy. I think it will be a great gap, but I don't know if they will be "beat friends" as their interests will be pretty different for quite a while. I say if you want more kids have them and don't worry about the age gap.