When we look at our two children, for those of us who have more than one. We marvel at how they originated from the same parents.
They were reared in the same environment, with the same values and chances, so why is the second child so eager to test us?
It turns out that birth order matters.
While you may have thought that being a parent was difficult enough the first time around, your second kid will put you to the ultimate test.
A team of MIT Sloan School researchers analyzed families with two sons in Denmark and Florida.
They discovered some interesting behavioral differences between the older and younger brothers in these groups.
So, if you’ve ever believed that your eldest child was an angel and your younger child was born to put you to the test, this study may explain why and provide some intriguing answers.
Most likely, your second kid will spend more time in the principal’s office.
According to the same MIT study, your second child is 20-40% more likely to be reprimanded at school than your first child.
Surprisingly, this kid in the birth order is also more likely to encounter legal and criminal justice issues.
Daughters, on the other hand, maybe a different story.
These findings are based on a study of first-born sons, so if you have an older girl, this may not be the case.
Parents may also play a role.
One cause for these discrepancies might be due to you, parents.
The researchers say this:
“The data allow us to examine a range of potential mechanisms, and the evidence rules out differences in health at birth and the quality of schools chosen for children. We do find that parental time investment measured by time out of the labor force is higher for first-borns at ages 2-4, suggesting that the arrival of a second-born child extends early-childhood parental investments for first-borns.”That means that parents might be more likely to encourage the beneficial early-childhood period more for their oldest child than for their second born.
Pay attention to the early years.
It’s been well-established that the first 6 years of a person’s life are essential to laying the groundwork for their future.In this time period, children have the potential to learn more and faster than at any other point in their lives, develop positive mindsets, and can make themselves physically healthier.
