In fact, twenty-one of the first twenty-three astronauts sent to space were first-borns in their families. First-born children have a tendency to choose leadership careers. For example, many U.S. presidents were first-borns (Leman, 12).
Those who have done research in this field, say that the oldest child of a family typically have a better head-start on learning than the rest of his or her siblings. This is because of the amount of attention the new parents gave to their first child. As expected, first-time parents will spend a great deal of time with their child as opposed to parents who have already gone through that phase of being first time parents. The amazing affection and love the new parents show towards their new child is often not as strongly repeated with younger children (Richardson, 99). The more children parents have, the more relaxed the become about parenting. Parents usually put their first-borns on a pedestal without realizing what they are doing. Although the child is a baby, it does recognize the sense of enthusiasm the parents feel for him or her. So, first-borns try to maintain their parents" approval throughout their lives (Barrymore). As a new child is added to this already formed family, the first-born naturally struggles with having to share his/her parents" attention. This feeling of abandonment often causes the child to become bitter towards their younger sibling. Sometimes the older child will act out in babyish ways trying to get attention from the parents. When the oldest child understands that his or her parents are not approving of his/her behavior, the child may start to act more like their own age group an perhaps help care for the younger sibling (Leman, 45). Parents appreciate this type of behavior and often expect the child to be setting a good example all of the time, making the child become a natural born leader. This child feels he/she has power over the younger siblings and assumes an authoritative position.
