What do Oprah Winfrey, Sheryl Sandberg and Hilary Clinton have in common? They are all firstborn children. According to studies, if you are the first born child you have a solid chance of becoming more qualified and ambitious than your other siblings. Although many firstborn children may not agree with this notion and assertion, let us consider some reasons why the eldest child is a high achiever.
1.They are attended to the most
Before the arrival of siblings, firstborns do get most of the attention. It seems parents appreciate the arrival of firstborns and try to make an impact with them.
2. They have no one to teach them
They have to learn most of the things they know on their own. Unlike later siblings who have someone to instruct and pioneer them on the direction to go, firstborn’s do not have any one to look up to.
3. They are surrounded with stability
Firstborn children are not bamboozled with the marriage crisis that somehow later erupts when love starts to dissipate. Firstborn children arrive into the stability of their parents who are still blossoming in the excitement of love.
4. They are more disciplined
While parents tend to relax a bit after the eldest child has a sibling or two, the eldest child is more scolded and disciplined than their siblings.
5. They have no early competition
When siblings emerge, they all start vying for recognition in different ways. One could be want to be a doctor, and another a musician. However the firstborn hits an early start in pursuing his interests with no competition appearing until later.
6. They are given the most matured treatment
There is a theory that if you treat a child like an adult he or she will respond the same way. When the eldest child appears, he or she will grow accordingly to the intellectual culture of their home. Since there are no other young ones in the home, the eldest child grows in the intellectual culture that is already present in the home.
7. They are more pressured to succeed at school
According to a research eldest children face more pressure to succeed at school. This is as a result of parents having high expectations for their first children.
8. They are raised to lead
The eldest child are like surrogate parent towards his or her siblings. They fulfill parental roles towards their siblings when their parents are not around.
9. They are raised to be responsible
Most times when things go wrong and mistakes are made, they are the ones who take the blame. They are nurtured to act responsible.
10. They grow up faster
Situations make the elder child grow up faster and adapt to tough situations. They get wiser while their younger ones are pampered through the process of growth.
11. They can deal with setbacks
As they grow older, the eldest child will not always have his or her way. They face setbacks, challenges early and they have to deal with them.
12. They acknowledge hard work
They are quickly saddled with laborious or intellectual work as they grow. They become accustomed to working hard and being more resourceful.
13. They can sustain their budget
The elder child because of being responsible for not only themselves has to master the art of managing budgets and working with whatever limited resources they have.
14. They are disciplined
The discipline they receive from their parents build their focus and drives them to be more resilient and studious.
15. They are more down to earth
There were not many rooms for failures or cutting corners. The older one has to be a pacesetter to the younger. Thus they were more honest, truthful and sincere in proving to their parents that they could take charge.
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