The baby of a family gets no respect.
Of all the siblings, they’re usually the ones singled out as troublemakers, irresponsible, attention-hungry, get-away-with-anything brats. On top of all that, for most of their childhoods, the baby is the easy, gullible targets for older siblings’ pranks.
But research on birth order has found that youngest children really aren’t all that bad. In fact, to the disbelief of eldest siblings everywhere, the characteristics that made last-borns the butt of family jokes actually do the opposite in adult life: They help youngest sibs live up to their fullest potential. And, as science shows, they are way more fun to be around. With big personalities and a penchant for entertainment, last-borns are the family’s grand finale.
Below, 5 research-backed reasons that the babies of the bunch are actually the family’s crown jewel.