Artist Wang Chen has produced a series of hilarious and accurate comics, where she illustrates how parenting techniques change between first-born and second-born children. As it turns out, second-born children have a much different experience growing up. Parenting techniques change drastically when parents know what they do and don’t have to worry about.
Second-born kids, at least compared to the first-born, seem to be treated more passively. It’s not a bad thing, it’s just that parents have been through all of it before, and they know better so they don’t panic nearly as much. Wang Chen captures this perfectly in her accurate comics, which show that the second-born can have both a harder and easier time in life.
Parents may not fret as much over their second-born child, but as Wang Chen illustrates, the level of love is still the same. It’s just that parents are already more knowledgeable about their firstborn, so they know what to do in (almost) every scenario. Not only do the second-born kids have a different experience, but their parents definitely do as well.
1. One major difference between the first-born and second-born child is how the mother gets treated. The first time around, she is the queen. By the second, she knows what she can and can’t handle.
2. Friends may have been excited for you the first time you had a child, but when the second-born comes along, their enthusiasm definitely wears off.
3. The first-born child is constantly photographed and immortalized in countless photo albums. However, the second-born is usually just stored in the cloud.
4. Furthermore, there will always be a wallet picture of the first-born child at a specific age, no matter how old the second-born is or how many others come along.
5. There’s always the fear that everything a child does is going to make them sick, at least for the first one. The second kid is usually less worrisome.
6. Having one kid can be expensive, but parents want only the best for their child. However, once the second kid comes along, they might realize money gets tight.
7. Taking kids to different activities to help them learn can get pretty exhausting, so usually parents just try to teach as they go for all subsequent kids.
8. Baby books can only tell you so much about parenting. By the time parents have their second child, they’re looking for inspiration from any source.
9. Parents might have moments of insecurity about raising their first child. They question if everything they’re doing is good enough, but they quickly realize that the kids turn out fine.
10. The same applies to what parents feed their baby. Usually, they realize that babies will be fine so they lay off the organic stuff in favour of what’s handy.
11. Hand-me-downs are a universal experience for every younger sibling. The first one gets fresh new clothes, the second gets whatever doesn’t fit anymore.
12. In the same vein as parents worrying about what their kids eat, they also worry when their kids get sick. However, they worry less once they’ve been through it all before.
13. Some parents endeavour to keep their kids from watching too much television, but once they have two kids they realize that TV can actually be very helpful.
14. Once parents have one kid, they’ve seen it all. The accomplishments of the firstborn are never quite the same the second time around.
15. The first day of school is a big event when it comes to both children. For the first time, parents are proud of their kids and excited for them. The second time, they’re happy to be free again.
16. Parents always take care to do things exactly right the first time, like eating only healthy food. The second time, they just want to be comfortable and happy, which is also exactly what they want for their kids.
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