"Fiercely independent,' 'driven,' 'responsible' and 'caretakers' are words that are often used to describe oldest siblings. From a young age, firstborn children are tasked with watching out for their siblings while also being raised by first-time parents, which are experiences that show up in many ways, including in certain topics and beliefs that come out in therapy."
Altheresa Clark, a licensed clinical social worker and the founder of Inspire4Purpose in Florida, said, 'With the oldest child, there is a lot of trial-and-error parenting - new parents are learning how to raise their firstborn and don't yet have the knowledge that they'll bring to raising their younger children. This may mean oldest children have to deal with extreme parenting styles, like a strict upbringing with lots of rules and expectations. 'So, how that translates to the oldest child, they now have to grow up and there are a lot of expectations. A lot of times [this creates a] Type A personality where they become perfectionists,' Clark said. Clark said she helps her oldest-sibling patients connect the dots and dismantle the perfectionist belief systems that have been with them for decades."
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