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.
Researchers have found that 74% of mothers and 70% of fathers admit to having a favourite child - and children say there is a bias towards the eldest one.... READ MORE ABOUT: Children.
“Parents tend to favour a child that is most like them, reminds them of themselves, or represents what they view as a success of parenting,” she says. “Younger children are most likely to have been raised by a parent who, over time and experience, is more confident and skilled in their child-raising.”
Overall, 38 percent of Americans who are the youngest in their family report they were the favorite, compared to 27 percent of those who were oldest. Middle children are the least likely to say they were a favorite child; only 20 percent believe they were.
A recent study revealed that the reason the youngest child is said to be the favourite is that they are often perceived as the favourite. This then results in better relationships with their parents, and whether or not it was originally true, it then becomes true.
And experts say middle children do tend to be more empathetic. As a middle child, I have multiple perspectives on sibling relationships that my older and younger siblings never had. When you're the middle child, you have an older role model to learn from or look up to, and a younger prodigy to teach.
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.
A recent study has found that it's not the youngest child that's liked the most. It's actually the eldest! While eldest children around the world have had to be the example for their younger siblings and parents being extra strict on them, it looks like there was a good reason.
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.
The Best And Hardest Ages
Forty percent of survey participants felt that five was the most fun age. This was thought to be down to improved communication skills and the development of a good sense of humour. The survey also found that parents had the least fun with the 10 to 12 year old children.
Genetically, you actually carry more of your mother's genes than your father's. That's because of little organelles that live within your cells, the mitochondria, which you only receive from your mother.
Obviously, each child and family is different but overall, parents think the hardest years are between 6-8 with 8 being the hardest age to parent.
“Firstborn children can be goal-oriented, outspoken, stubborn, independent, and perfectionistic,” Smelser says, and when you look at the way firstborns are nurtured, it starts to make sense why. “These traits are often reinforced by parents through their interactions with the child,” she says.
Perceptions of favoritism can take a lasting mental toll on families, according to a 20-year study following parents and their adult children. 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.
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. 1 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.
The stereotype is that parents will overlook the middle child because the oldest has the most responsibility or is the trailblazer while the youngest gets all the attention as the baby of the family.
And the winner is: first-borns. That's right. New findings from large scale population surveys reveal that not only are first-born children more intelligent, they have better personalities, are more likely to be employed, earn higher incomes and have better mental health. But it's not all roses.
Middleborns are just as smart as their siblings.
But a study by the University of Illinois published earlier this year found that firstborns' IQs are only one point higher, on average, than their younger siblings — a fairly negligible difference.
Middles are successful.
As Schumann wrote in a story for the Daily Mail, of all the US Presidents since 1787, no fewer than 52% were middle children. There are also some famous middle children who are entrepreneurs, including Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg.
In a family with more than three children, anyone who isn't a first- or last-born is considered a middle child.
The youngest was less of a handful than their more "tricky and demanding" siblings. The survey backs up the results of a study published by researchers at Brigham Young University's School of Family Life which also found the youngest child is the favourite for most families.
As a result, lastborns usually get away with more than their older siblings do, says Dr. Leman. They shoulder less responsibility, so the youngest child tends to be carefree, easygoing, fun-loving, affectionate, and sociable, and they like to make people laugh.
Research suggests that having two children is still most people's idea of the 'ideal' family size. Having said that, according to the Office for National Statistics, one-child families have been on the increase over the last two decades. And by 2012 there were more one-child families than parents with two children.