Being a lastborn is hard work
WE all have them don’t we? The last borns in the family. Typical of them, they go by tender names such as Mulungi, baby, pretty, daddy, mummy, handsome or sweetie and always carry the ‘I’m here to be served’ attitude. They so easily command mum’
BY REHEMA AANYU
WE all have them don’t we? The last borns in the family. Typical of them, they go by tender names such as Mulungi, baby, pretty, daddy, mummy, handsome or sweetie and always carry the ‘I’m here to be served’ attitude. They so easily command mum’s and dad’s attention.
Some psychologists suggest that being an older or younger sibling has an effect on one’s attitude towards life and relations with others.
Sally Bagaala, a child psychologist with Living Health Family Clinic in Kawempe, says the lastborn just like the first, second or third born have many distinctive characteristics.
“Being born last would mean the child is very co-dependent upon other siblings as well as parents. When mummy or daddy is not helping him wear a shirt, sweater or shoes, the older sibling is and when no one is, they throw tantrums and or wait until they can be helped to do it,†she says.
Bagaala says typical of lastborns, they are given everything they want. They draw much attention towards themselves and expect a lot of attention and affection from family members and peers too.
“When the last born has a problem, they are the type to need a person to drop everything and go help them, or just listen to them. They feel this way because all their life, people have been around to help them and or solve their problems,†Bagaala says.
Derrick Mugaga a salesman with Love Uganda and a lastborn says he involves his entire family in the important decisions in his life.
“I am most comfortable when they make the important decisions because they know and understand me better and will always wish the best for me,†he says
Mugaga says his parents chose for him the course he pursued at university while his siblings chose for him his house plan and identified for him the area he constructed his home.
Bagaala says due to their parents’ increasingly laissez-faire attitude towards parenting the second, third, or fourth born, the baby of the family tends to be free-spirited, fun-loving, charming, affectionate and self-centered.
She says because they have grown in a world where everything rotates around them, career-wise, last borns tend to or will go for jobs or be good at jobs that depend on them or better still where all the attention is on them.
“When it comes to last borns, the pressure to meet their parents’ high expectations is reasonably off.
So unlike first borns who will most likely end up in leadership positions, last borns will most likely pursue artistic professions.
Bagaala says in a romantic relationship, ideally, the best person for the last born is the first born because they have the instinct to nurture just like last borns want and desire lots of attention.
One of the personality traits many last borns share is persistence and it always pays off for them. “They learn as babies in the family that if they persist with or in what they want, they will eventually get it.â€
WE all have them don’t we? The last borns in the family. Typical of them, they go by tender names such as Mulungi, baby, pretty, daddy, mummy, handsome or sweetie and always carry the ‘I’m here to be served’ attitude. They so easily command mum’s and dad’s attention.
Some psychologists suggest that being an older or younger sibling has an effect on one’s attitude towards life and relations with others.
Sally Bagaala, a child psychologist with Living Health Family Clinic in Kawempe, says the lastborn just like the first, second or third born have many distinctive characteristics.
“Being born last would mean the child is very co-dependent upon other siblings as well as parents. When mummy or daddy is not helping him wear a shirt, sweater or shoes, the older sibling is and when no one is, they throw tantrums and or wait until they can be helped to do it,†she says.
Bagaala says typical of lastborns, they are given everything they want. They draw much attention towards themselves and expect a lot of attention and affection from family members and peers too.
“When the last born has a problem, they are the type to need a person to drop everything and go help them, or just listen to them. They feel this way because all their life, people have been around to help them and or solve their problems,†Bagaala says.
Derrick Mugaga a salesman with Love Uganda and a lastborn says he involves his entire family in the important decisions in his life.
“I am most comfortable when they make the important decisions because they know and understand me better and will always wish the best for me,†he says
Mugaga says his parents chose for him the course he pursued at university while his siblings chose for him his house plan and identified for him the area he constructed his home.
Bagaala says due to their parents’ increasingly laissez-faire attitude towards parenting the second, third, or fourth born, the baby of the family tends to be free-spirited, fun-loving, charming, affectionate and self-centered.
She says because they have grown in a world where everything rotates around them, career-wise, last borns tend to or will go for jobs or be good at jobs that depend on them or better still where all the attention is on them.
“When it comes to last borns, the pressure to meet their parents’ high expectations is reasonably off.
So unlike first borns who will most likely end up in leadership positions, last borns will most likely pursue artistic professions.
Bagaala says in a romantic relationship, ideally, the best person for the last born is the first born because they have the instinct to nurture just like last borns want and desire lots of attention.
One of the personality traits many last borns share is persistence and it always pays off for them. “They learn as babies in the family that if they persist with or in what they want, they will eventually get it.â€