The Oldest Child

Birth Order

A Look at the Oldest Child—Known as the Firstborn

 

         The oldest child in a family may share characteristics of an only child. Firstborns are often confident and high achievers. According to Kevin Leman, PhD and author of The Birth Order Book: Why You Are the Way You Are, “They don't have older siblings to make fun of them when they learn to tie their shoes or ride a bike. Adults take them seriously, and that boosts their confidence. When parents gush over every firstborn "first," it motivates oldest children to achieve. Proof of this: Leman recounts a corporate seminar he conducted for CEOs in which 19 of the 20 attendees were firstborns” (Lorenzi). 

Oldest children are always watching and learning from their parents so they learn how to take charge and lead. On the other hand, because they are always watching and imitating parents, they want to get things right and this can make them a bit of a perfectionist. Because parents of firstborns can be strict and overprotective, the oldest child tends to overachieve. Parents of firstborns tend to hold them as role models and give them a lot of responsibility. As a result, the oldest child becomes responsible, reliable, and careful because of all the attention they have received from parents. According to Pediatrician, Dr. T. Berry Brazelton, author of Touchpoints 3 to 6: Your Child’s Emotional and Behavioral Development, firstborns can experience stress as a result of all the expectations placed on them (Lorenzi).

Firstborns are not without many challenges being the oldest child. According to Michelle P. Maidenberg, PhD and child and family therapist in White Plains, New York, firstborns fear failure and have feelings of not being good enough. They dread making mistakes and this makes them inflexible, resistant to change, and hesitant to step out of their comfort zone (DiProperzio). 


         Some famous firstborns are: Dakota Fanning, Kate Middleton, Barak Obama, Penelope Cruz, Zac Efron, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Beyonce Knowles, Josh Hartnett, and Oprah Winfrey just to name a few.

Post by JT  --  Comments Welcomed.
Qualifier: (Birth Order characteristics are common traits but do not always apply to every child)

Works Cited

DiProperzio, Linda. “Understanding the power of birth order—What makes your
          children So different from one another?” Today-Parenting. Web. 9 Oct. 2014.

Lorenzi, Natalie. “How Birth Order Shapes Personality.” American Baby (Parents
          Online). Web. 9 Oct. 2014.