Tag: oldest child

Does the order in which your child was born affect their personality and achievements? Despite numerous studies on birth order, there is no consensus from the experts on this. However, a new survey shows that mothers think birth order matters, which may, in effect, perpetuate the stereotypes.

According to the survey of 9,326 mothers by Netmums, a U.K. parenting group, mothers are concerned that they innately treat their children differently depending on their birth order, which may in turn effect that child’s personality and outcomes in life.

Moms think the oldest child will do well in school, but may be more likely to be anxious and depressed. The youngest child is viewed as the one most likely to be happiest.

Interestingly, the study discovered that women who were oldest children themselves were more likely to become demanding mothers. In contrast, moms who were middle children tend to be more laid back in their parenting while those who were youngest children are more likely to heap praise on their kids.

So what should you take away from this study? Try monitoring yourself to make sure you’re not treating your children stereotypically. Are you placing too much responsibility on your oldest child? Are you treating the youngest like a baby? Are you ignoring the middle child altogether?

As parents with little time to step back and reflect on how we’re parenting, this can be a difficult task. But I know from experience that taking a few minutes every so often to get some perspective on how we treat our kids makes me a better parent (hopefully!).

To read the full Netmums report, click here.

photo credit: D Sharon Pruitt