Although born of the same parents, most kids are different from their siblings. Their character, their choices, their mannerisms, and even their attitude towards life can be completely different. There are many reasons that contribute to your child’s behaviour or choices and birth order is one of them.
The first child
Most parents agree that their first child is usually well-behaved, is calmer, helps when expected to and really tries to do something the correct way. Well, your first child has got only you as an example and usually tends to display an adult-like behaviour. They usually see us being careful, putting things away in order, keeping the house tidy, and then they try to fall-into-place with the same thing. Usually, first-borns also hate it when they make mistakes and tend to avoid tasks where they feel they could err.
Also, first-borns, have first-timers who are parenting. So, many times it’s one child versus two parents who want the best for him/ her and are mostly available. Parents also tend give more duties to first-borns and view them as a role-model for their brothers or sisters. So, there’s always a lot of pressure on the first child. So, it’s really important that parents loosen-up with their first/ only child.
The middle child
The middle child is usually the opposite of the older child. And this is because the role they play in the family. If the family perceives the middle child as the second-in-line for responsibilities they can turn out to be very responsible, but they approach responsibility differently from the first child. If they are perceived to be the little one, they end up getting away with murder. The middle child usually plays two roles, the little brother to the older child and the older brother to the baby. So, they learn 2 traits simultaneously. The middle child is quite realistic in his approach, is independent, can take a bit of responsibility as well as be a child at the same time. They can be very good negotiators and usually have a big circle of friends outside of their families, as they have dual abilities. They learn to play the right card at the right time early on! The middle child usually learns to share the parents with the older and younger sibling, so it nice if parents can give some attention to the middle child. Also, parents should respect the friends and independence of the middle child. Give them space, don’t be pushy but be there when they need you just for themselves.
The youngest child
They youngest child is usually the most spoilt but easiest child for parents. This is because parents are no more first-timers and tend to let things go. They also tend to miss the childhood of their older kids and try to spend more time and play along easily. The youngest children are not given enough responsibility and so they are usually easy and careless. It’s important that parents sometimes let the youngest take some important decisions for the family like which restaurant to go for dinner or where to go for a vacation. Because this makes them feel important and helps them develop decision making skills.