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Science proves second-born children really are naughtier kids

There's a reason your second-born is so much harder! - by April Glover
  • 01 May 2019

If you've ever wondered why your second-born child is giving you a lot more grief than your first - we have news for you.

Science has actually proven that your second child has a natural tendency to be naughtier and harder to raise.

Science proves second-born children really are naughtier kids
Getty Images

According to research done by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, second-born children are more likely to show 'delinquency problems' than their older sibling. 

'We find that second-born boys are substantially more likely to exhibit delinquency problems compared to their older sibling,' the authors of the study wrote.

The study looked at children raised in Florida in the US and in Denmark and explored the interesting reasons why the younger children tended to act out. 

Getty Images
Getty Images

Researchers found that second-born boys were more likely to be disciplined at school and even face jail time later in life. 

'On families with two or more children, second-born boys are on the order of 20 to 40 percent more likely to be disciplined in school and enter the criminal justice system compared to first-born boys even when we compare siblings,' the study noted.

The study pointed out that first-borns tend to receive far more attention than their younger siblings, resulting in problems later in life.

'We do find that parental time investment measured by time out of the labor force is higher for first-borns at ages 2-4, suggesting that the arrival of a second-born child extends early-childhood parental investments for first-borns,' researchers wrote. 

There you have it folks!

April Glover

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