FIRSTBORNS: Their Roles, Responsibilities And Upbringing.

A firstborns is the first child to be born to a parent or family. He/she is the eldest child of a family. Traditionally in most African communities and also societies across the world, firstborns have been given a very socially significant role. They are supposed to protect or take care of their younger siblings in absence of the parent (s) or guardian (s), help in the most demanding household chores and also serve as role models to the younger siblings.

Due to their first position in the order of their family's childbirth, most firstborns develop leadership skills very early in life. Most also become very responsible. 

Most firstborns usually have very strong bond and closer ties with their parents. At their birth especially to young, inexperienced parents, they tend to be overprotective and give undivided attention to raise the firstborn with great parental love for the first fruit of their love. This is manifested in many cultures where parents leave behind a larger chunk of inheritance. Infact, in the Gîkûyû community of central Kenya, inheritance can't be shared in absence of the firstborn.

The eldest children develop authoritative personality during early development especially when they are entrusted to take care of their younger siblings by their parents or guardians. That oftenly makes them very good, authoritative leaders. They become good class prefects and manage their classmates with great self esteem and self confidence. If they are well nurtured in leadership roles they become great and credible administrators. 

However, to some extreme, firstborns are consumed with envy and even jealousy towards their younger siblings. Their juniors seem to disposses them of the undivided parental attention they previously enjoyed thus the envy. In the cases where firstborns are also the only children there's a tendency for them to get spoilt if the parents are not stringent disciplinarians.

In cases where the firstborns pass on at an early age, the immediate sibling in the order of birthright usually take over their roles and responsibilities. In cases where firstborns are undisciplined and irresponsible however, younger siblings tend to copy them. Firstborn children should therefore be brought up with great care, parental love and guidance but this should not be insensitive to the younger siblings. 

Written by Gitau wa Kung'u.