Being the Oldest Child Essays

One societal standard is the expectation that the oldest sibling is responsible for the younger siblings’. Being the oldest of the children in her family,

First born children who later have younger siblings may have it the worst. These children are given excessive attention and pampering by their parents until that fateful day when the little brother or sister arrives. Suddenly they are no longer the center of attention and fall into the shadows wondering why everything changed. They are left feeling inferior, questioning their importance in the family, and trying desperately to gain back the attention they suddenly lost. The first born child can become “problem children, neurotics, criminals, drunkards, and perverts” (Cloninger, 2008). However, on the flip side, the first born usually are the peacemakers of the family even though they are a pampered and spoiled child.

As the eldest sibling, I had no choice but to become a leader. At first, bearing total responsibility seemed to be an enormous undertaking at such a young age. Oftentimes, I wished for an older sibling to take my place and carry that burden instead. However, that responsibility honored me with values and skills I wasn't able to recognize until years later. Still a child myself, at eleven years old, I was babysitting babies less than one year old. Changing diapers, administering medicine, and preparing food came naturally to me, as I had been helping and leading others all of my life. Having responsibility no longer felt like a burden, but a gift. Leading others is now what comes most naturally to me, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

I was the youngest sibling in the family. But, don’t be fooled, somehow I have managed to meet and fail majority of the stereotypes resembling the youngest child. I have always been described as a natural leader, risk taker, and social butterfly.

First, an article by the Huffington Post mentions that the youngest child is the “life of the party”. Parents are already confident in raising a child that when the youngest is born, parents are more likely to be more lenient and not pay as much attention to you compared to your older sibling. Research also says that the youngest has more freedom, and is not necessarily expected to do anything (Gross, 2013). What actually occurred in this family is exactly what research says. Laney has always been the outspoken one within the family, and when growing up she always got what she wanted. Over the years, she shows the personality of a youngest child with relying on parents, and letting her sister have more control. Thirdly, what was hypothesized

In our home every child is expected to do his or her part, but being the oldest meant carrying a weightier load of responsibility

Being the oldest child has had a huge impact on who I am today. I have to be responsible and make sure that my sisters have someone to look up to. My actions play a role on how I show off my responsibility. I am responsible in any shape, way, or form because I love it when everything around me is neat, clean, done on time, and organized. Being responsible is not an easy aspect especially when different thoughts go through people's minds when they hear the word.

I am a middle child. I am not the assertive, naturally confident first-born, nor am I an attention-seeking youngest child; I am the quiet, quintessential middle child. For the first 16 years of my life, I was always an afterthought to the craziness of my two sisters, and I loved it‒ it made me independent and self-reliant. I have always been very comfortable being the easy-going child, happily accepting anything that comes my way. Never have I felt that my parents loved me any less; they merely had to worry less about me than they did my siblings, with their stubbornness and constant desire for affirmation. I easily slid under the radar, preferring to mind my own business and handle problems on my own. There was never anything wrong with my

The first question asked to the four oldest children being interviewed was, “As an oldest child, do you find there is more pressure placed on you that is not on the other children?” The answer was unanimously yes. One of them stated that there was more pressure to get good grades and do well in college. [She] always set a good example for [her] younger siblings. Responsibility wise, there was much more to do as an oldest. One stated that they grew up

Each child has his or her own personality. Typically the firstborn is a natural leader, while the last is always the baby, but what about the overlooked middle child? The middle child can sometimes feel lost in the crowd when it comes to family dynamics. They crave their parent’s attention and are willing to do anything to believe they have it, but immediately close up when it comes to conflict, they become people pleasers. They will do anything to make their parents, or others, happy. This makes the middle child a skilled peacemaker and negotiator (Varma, 2013). They are amazing listeners because of the fact they hate conflict,

Being the oldest child can be challenging, but very rewarding. Especially being a first generation university student in a household of 2 or more children. I am the oldest child, meaning all of the responsibility was placed on me. I was expected to have the best grades, outstanding manners as well as keep a smile on my face every time one of my 3 little siblings break a vase at a family friend’s house. I was the child who would have to watch over the children while my parents were at work, serve them lunch while my parents were out buying groceries, take them to football and basketball practices while my parents were preparing dinner at home. I was the third parent, and that has always been on me since before I could speak. I grew up feeling

Six years ago a girl made a big transition to a new school. On the first day she was scared. She didn’t know a single person in that school. She soon met a girl who had also transferred that same year. This girls name is Rachel. Rachel and I had almost all of the same classes together. So over time we had gotten to know each other pretty well. Our lockers were also right next to each other. We were inseparable. Little did we know during this time that we had both found our forever best friend.

Since the dawn of civilization, families have had traditions that carry on to our society. One of these is the fact that the firstborn son is the most powerful of all his siblings. Nowadays, this idea has all but vanished from our society and only lives on for the sake of tradition. This concept, even if it is virtually nonexistent, causes change in people based on their age in relation to their siblings. The fact that the oldest male descendant was the most powerful creates a few ripple effects that still hang around today. Most obviously is the fact that the oldest sibling takes responsibility for the others. At a young age, this may translate to bossing people around. This, in turn, gives them a sense of law. They are the boss, and the others

They tend to “branch off” from the oldest sibling’s traits, in an attempt to be recognized for their own characteristics and not be compared to their older sibling (“Birth Order”). Because the oldest sibling usually is very scholarly and conscientious, the middle child often becomes somewhat lazy and has less drive. They are stuck in the middle of older and younger siblings, and often end up being the mediator or the compromiser (Lemain). Because of this, they grow up to have great people skills in varying groups. Middle kids sometimes struggle with jealousy and self-esteem because they were given less attention growing up compared to the oldest and youngest children (Collins). Middle kids can be somewhat competitive because they always have needed to compete with siblings for goods and attention. Sometimes, however, they are more laid back than their siblings. This depends on the child’s own circumstances (“Birth Order”). Overall, middle children are independent, social, and diplomatic

The topic I have chosen for my paper is that of relationship between parents and children. Some of the points that I will be discussing are child abuse, child neglect and how it can affect a child and the relationship with the parents.