Growing up the oldest, middle or, the youngest child are three very different experiences. A huge curveball gets thrown in when you take into consideration the different generations and where you live. I've been able to witness the different qualities through my family and myself, along with the differences between how each one is treated by the parents.
The oldest child tends to be what some consider the "test" child. Since they are the first born, parents are extremely cautious and they learn with their kid since everything is so new. The first born kid usually shows a leadership role especially if they have younger siblings because they are more in charge. They are more responsible and very disciplined because of how they were raised (also due to having younger siblings if that is the case).
My oldest brother definitely fits the leader role since he is about twelve years older than my middle brother and I and he has had to raise and take care of us when my parents were working long shifts. He had privileges greater than us but because of his age. I don't know the full story but from the bits and pieces I do know about how he was raised, my mother says she always instilled in him her values and what a respectful way to live is.
Also, being the oldest and being raised half in Ecuador and the next few years in the U.S., it got very interesting for my brother to see a quick change in scenery and customs.
The middle child tends to have more freedoms than the first. At this point, the parents know what it's like to take care of a baby and raise a child. According to the Huffington Post, the middle child is known as the "peace-maker" of the family. I see this in my own family because since they're the middle child, they're used to being stuck in the middle and because of this, they are great negotiators and compromises. They can definitely help defuse a situation.
In most families, there is always the kids or sibling who others say "can get away with murder". I tend to see these the most with middle children in my experience with other siblings but especially with my middle brother. Being that we're far apart from my oldest, we were born in different generations so my parents saw upfront what it was like to raise a child in the U.S, starting with him since he was the first to start from the very beginning at pre-school in the U.S.
Growing up was not easy at all because our new North American customs clashed with the South American customs my parents tried to raise us in.
After many years, since my middle brother was the first child to grow up completely in the U.S for my parents, he pushed a lot of boundaries and took a lot of risks, risks that my parents had no clue were possible because of how they were raised back home.
The youngest child tends to be rebellious, attention seeking, and manipulative. By the time there's a third child, parents must be experts at raising kids and are more flexible with the youngest child. These kids are also the ones who people say can "get away with murder" (in case your family doesn't have middle children). These kids are also more likely to be outgoing and very persuasive.
I am the youngest child and I agree with the above description. I am rebellious as I am the only sibling to go and get multiple piercings and tattoos even after my parents told me not to. I do like(positive) attention because I have been raised with that since I am the baby.
I do think that growing up it was easy to be persuasive because parents are most likely to please the baby of the family. It had its perks because if you wanted to go somewhere or you wanted someone to buy you something, they would. It even kept having its perks growing up when I would be late for my curfew and I got the "you better be home or else" texts and nothing happened.
It stopped having its perks when now since you're the baby, and the only girl, you must be protected at all times and are too delicate to go anywhere at night or alone. It stops having its perks when even though you grow up, you're still too young.It stops having it's perks wen double standards come into play. It stops having its perks when you're raised in a household that still has values from another country and how your parents grew up instead of them understanding how you're growing up and trying to be there for you.
My parents were both the first born kids in their families. Maybe that's why sometimes we clash. They both had the leader positions since they had younger siblings who looked up to them. They both were the "test children" so all the discipline was placed on them and they had to follow each and every rule and make sure everyone else did too. Growing up in a different country where their norms were to not let girls go out late unless they had their brothers by their side or they can't stay out whenever they wanted because it was shameful, can really alter your perception of the world. You end up being scared of the unknown. That is why many parents who followed all the rules and rarely did what truly made them happy in their lives, always judge and never understand when their kids decide to make their own decisions.
Every child at different ages will definitely grow up differently. If your parents were raised a certain way, in most cases, I would expect to be raised the same because that is how they grew up. That does not necessarily mean you will end up like them. I completely believe in the characteristics of each child whether you're the oldest or the youngest.
Although I was raised by the first borns, my youngest child mentality shines bright and strong and it is very tough to shake away.
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