A study which looked at how parents are perceived to treat their children differently has produced some interesting findings. Researchers Susan M. McHale and Alexander C. Jensen concluded that younger siblings tend to be the favourite largely because they see themselves as the favourite.
While the youngest sibling is usually the funniest kid, mom and dad favor the youngest for a reason that might surprise you. According to a new study conducted by Brigham Young University's School of Family Life, the youngest sibling of the family tends to be mom and dad's favorite child because of perception.
The researchers believe this is due to social comparison, with younger siblings placing more emphasis on comparing themselves to their older siblings. "It's not that first-borns don't ever think about their siblings and themselves in reference to them," says BYU School of Family Life assistant professor Alex Jensen.
The survey concluded that parents tend to favour their youngest child over the elder. More than half of the parents quizzed said they preferred their youngest child, while only 26 per cent said that their favourite child was their eldest.
They are looked at as being more trusted compared to the older siblings because parents are more likely to trust something when they've been through it before with the eldest sibling. Youngest children are also described as “spoiled” which is most definitely true.
Only 30% say they prefer the eldest. This pattern is similar to parents with three or more children who favour one above the others. Many (43%) prefer the youngest, a third (34%) a middle child and fewer (19%) the eldest. Having a favourite is controversial.
Forget the terrible twos and prepare for the hateful eights ‒ parents have named age 8 as the most difficult age to parent, according to new research. Eight being the troublesome year likely comes as a surprise to many parents, especially since parents polled found age 6 to be easier than they expected.
There's also the 'threenager' stage, which apparently makes the terrible twos seem like a walk in the park. However, there's an age stage that few people talk about and that's sweet 16 (months, definitely not years).
Youngest children are also often described as spoiled, willing to take unnecessary risks, and less intelligent than their oldest siblings. Psychologists have theorized that parents coddle youngest children.
In fact, the results of a recent survey published in Evolution and Human Behavior found that we don't find babies cute until three, or even six months of age. From there, babies remain at peak cuteness until around age four-and-a-half. Understandable right? That's when they're at their most chubby and dimpled.
Most parents have a favourite child, and it's probably the eldest, according to researchers. A study conducted at the University of California shows that out of 768 parents surveyed, 70 per cent of mothers and 74 per cent of fathers admitted to having a favourite child.
Out of 1185 parents and 1111 grandparents, 23 percent of parents and 42 percent of grandparents admitted to have a favorite out of their children or grandchildren. For parents, that tended to be the youngest—56 percent of those parents with a favorite said they preferred the baby of the family.
According to Newsweek, parents are harder on older kids because they want to use them as an example for younger kids. The thought is that if older siblings are acting in a manner that appears to be "reckless" and they get away with it, younger siblings will follow. Therefore, parents are stricter with older kids.
Youngest Child Birth Order Traits
“In general, high agreeableness, extraversion (the social dimension) and openness are associated with youngest children,” Dr. Salmon says, “and sometimes low conscientiousness due to lack of responsibilities and parental indulgence over expectations.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Moms won't admit to it. Families rarely talk about this, but research shows that many parents do, in fact, have a favorite and least favorite child. And more often than not, their kids are wrong about who is who.
Parental favoritism is when one or both parents display consistent favoritism toward one child over another. It can include more time spent together, less discipline, and more privileges. As a parent, we usually try to remain neutral and treat all of our children equally.
According to Adler, the first born is more susceptible to depression because of high expectations of parents and suddenly losing the attention due to another sibling being born.
First-born kids tend to be leaders, like CEOS and founders, and are more likely to achieve traditional success. Middle-born children often embody a mix of the traits of older and younger siblings, and they're very relationship-focused.
They become quite independent as they reach 5-6 years of age, even wanting to help you with some of the chores! This is probably why most parents look at age 6 as the magical age when parenting gets easier.
For some parents, infancy is the hardest. For others, it's toddlerhood. Some parents feel that the preschool years present special challenges.
However, many babies tend to get "easier" around 3 to 4 months old. Around this age, infants may begin to sleep longer stretches and feed on a more predictable schedule. You may also start to adjust to your new set of responsibilities as a parent. This being said, every baby is different, as is every family.
The majority of parents with adult kids agree ages of 0 to 4 were the most stressful, and 29 percent say age 3 was the most difficult time for them. The brunt of it, however, was the teenage years, according to 30 percent of parents.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child defines child as, "A human being below the age of 18 years unless under the law applicable to the child, majority is attained earlier.” This is ratified by 192 of 194 member countries.
Essentially, the evidence we have suggests that having children can make you happier. It also can make you feel unhappy, or constantly stressed, or anxious, and so on. Overall, it seems like having children makes your emotional experiences more intense than if you don't have them.