I Knew It!

The National Bureau of Economic Research just published a study indicating that first-born children are smarter and do better in school...talk about useless research! I could have told them that based on my experience with my brother, the first born! Fred was always much smarter than I was. I think he also tried harder as well. I have to admit that, to this day, I think he's far brighter than I even though I'm the one with the master's degree and he survived one semester of junior college.
The researchers opine that first children are treated much more strictly with regard to television, playtime and school performance than are succeeding children; thus, they perform better. Sounds logical. I must add, though, that my brother was, as I recall, far easier to handle than I was. It seemed I was always running afoul of some rule or other. I don't recall him ever really having issues with parental or school rules. On the other hand, it seemed as though there wasn't a rule I didn't bend, twist, or otherwise destroy...though I may simply be paranoid, too.
I do believe that expectations were high for all first-born children because parents didn't exactly know what to expect. In addition, the behaviors exhibited by said child might logically have been seen as a reflection of parenting skills, and new parents are particularly worried about that.
By the time the second and succeeding children come along, parents know how things work so there's less stress on everyone...except the succeeding children who ALWAYS think their parents like the first one better!