We are very curious to know why the oldest daughter/son is the best in many ways, from managing to the study. There are tremendous studies conducted on this to get to know why this thing is very important or why the eldest child is in this way. This system doesn’t apply in every household, as we do have some very sharp second or third children based on the IQ. Things are still on the baseline to know the effect.
Reversing the fact that being the last child of the family may cause you too many diseases, as at the time of conception your mother or father is old, not that young, and we can’t ignore the fact that yes, age, hormones, moods, and financial status affect the upbringing of the child.
Things don’t end here; this protégé effect clears the things of this fact. In South Asian countries, people have this belief that their firstborn is very sharp in every cycle of life. The first reason is that, as the new parent, their child is their first and foremost responsibility. They learn how to be good parents and give their level best for their firstborn. They tried to keep things the way so the firstborn learnt things on time or even before the time.
Their centre of attention is their firstborn, and everything concludes with their first child. This attention and monitoring help the firstborn to be very sharp because his/her emotional needs are fulfilled along with basic needs. The new parents didn’t understand anything for their child. Negligence is not the option in the book of new parenthood. Few of the parents became this concerned, so they forgot that they had their own lives also. They sounded to be around with their child’s needs, and they took this charge that they have to be very concerned with their child’s needs.
Fast forward, In South Asian countries, even if a child is above 18, he/she got lots of help, or even way too much, from the parents. This makes them dependent. Moving to our basic point that the firstborn is very sharp and curious about the thing is just because of the protege effect.
The protege effectposits that teaching others solidifies one’s own understanding. By explaining concepts clearly, anticipating questions, and adapting to different learning styles, teachers deepen their knowledge and problem-solving abilities. This phenomenon offers a potential explanation for the often-observed intelligence advantage among firstborn children.
As natural caretakers, firstborns frequently assume teaching roles with younger siblings, thereby enhancing their cognitive development. However, it’s crucial to acknowledge that this is just one factor among many contributing to the firstborn advantage, including parental expectations and resource allocation.
This thing is something that is known to us, but why I, as a writer, emphasise this is just because if we wanted to be sharp at anything, we needed to help others and teach. This helping effect will make you a social star, encourage your communication skills, and at the end of the day, you already enjoyed the protégé effect.
Arisha Irshad Ali
Karachi