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16 Hilariously Honest Comics Reveal The Difference Between Having The First Vs. Second Child
Parents know, that there are some quite big differences between having your first and second children. From different approaches to pregnancy, to slightly different ways the kids are raised once born. And these changes were beautifully illustrated by Weng Chen - an incredible artist, VR game designer and a mom from China, currently living in the US.
Weng Chen was always close to the world of art. "When I was about 2, 3 years old, my mom drew me a little mermaid and told me the story," she wrote on her website. "I was fascinated, it was like magic that the most beautiful picture just came from my mom’s pen. I believe that was when I fell in love with drawing and storytelling."
Now she focuses on drawing comics about her dreams and daily lives raising her two daughters, Electra, the firstborn, and Ali, the secondborn, together with her husband. "Messycow comics were started with an impulse. I didn’t spend any time designing anything, just dove in and started drawing."
Her latest series of comics explain the differences between the firstborn and the secondborn children and the strips are hilarious. What do you think?
More info: wengchen.wordpress.com | Facebook
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Exactly the same situation here with my first born toddler... am I a bad mother? :D
I am currently pregnant with our first, which is also gonna be our last because of my age. Yesterday, Dear Husband and I have seen baby on the ultrasound and since then, he's been floating on a blissfull cloud, telling everyone he meets (even strangers!) about his unpreceded and boundless happiness. Guess who gets to wear a crown for the next 5 months? :)
This happened to me, and I felt worthless as a mother for not being able to breastfeed. You can only try so much, and in the end what really counts is that the baby is being fed somehow and is healthy. I had to bottle feed him for his survival. I do think it's great when you can breastfeed your child, but sometimes you have to let go of some of your beliefs. Even though I had never thought about it, apparenltly, I as a new mother believed that a real mother has to breastfeed her child, or else she is not a "complete" mother. But now just see it as a true mother does what is best for her child, which in this case is giving the child enough nutrition no matter if it comes from a breast or bottle. Nobody wins a special prize for being able to do it the "natural" way. I'll never say I'm "pro" this or that. It hurt to be reminded by people that breast was the best when it didn't work in my situation even though i really wanted it to.
I am a middle child and this is PAINFULLY relatable. I had walking pneumonia once and could barely breath one night due to all the congestion in my lungs. My parents didn't believe I was actually having trouble breathing and assumed I was just panicking. If my grandfather didn't have an oximeter on him, my family probably would have let me stay at home and I would have died of oxygen deprivation. :|
I see some first-borns here speaking up about how their younger sibling seems to have been given more attention. Now, I don't know your personal family life, so please, don't think I'll be lecturing you, I'm just going to offer you a different outlook that might (or might not) help you out. 1.) The thing is that very likely you were given a similar amount of attention, it's just that you were too young to remember or even notice. It's always easier to see things in 3rd person. 2.) It's very human for new parents to be extra careful with their first born, because they're still learning. With the next children they get more relaxed because now they have some knowledge and experience, and this is what these comics are all about.
And 3.) Raising kids is a lot of damn work. Your parents may also just be worn out. I know I am.
Load More Replies...This made me kinda sad actually. I'm a firstborn and my brother is the secondborn and I think he struggled with being compared with me all the time and feeling like he wasn't as appreciated or "needed", I suppose, than me. This entire comic makes it really evident to me that my brother's grief isn't unbased and that it probably is a wider issue among secondborns or middle childs than expected. Downvote :(
Well, I have difference experience. I'm firstborn and I have younger brother. My mother's focus was always on him (for as long as I can rembember) and well, she cares more about him than me. Maybe it's mama's boy thing, I don't know. I'm still bitter about it sometimes and I'm grown women now. So it's not always "firstborn is the best" thing
Load More Replies...I see some first-borns here speaking up about how their younger sibling seems to have been given more attention. Now, I don't know your personal family life, so please, don't think I'll be lecturing you, I'm just going to offer you a different outlook that might (or might not) help you out. 1.) The thing is that very likely you were given a similar amount of attention, it's just that you were too young to remember or even notice. It's always easier to see things in 3rd person. 2.) It's very human for new parents to be extra careful with their first born, because they're still learning. With the next children they get more relaxed because now they have some knowledge and experience, and this is what these comics are all about.
And 3.) Raising kids is a lot of damn work. Your parents may also just be worn out. I know I am.
Load More Replies...This made me kinda sad actually. I'm a firstborn and my brother is the secondborn and I think he struggled with being compared with me all the time and feeling like he wasn't as appreciated or "needed", I suppose, than me. This entire comic makes it really evident to me that my brother's grief isn't unbased and that it probably is a wider issue among secondborns or middle childs than expected. Downvote :(
Well, I have difference experience. I'm firstborn and I have younger brother. My mother's focus was always on him (for as long as I can rembember) and well, she cares more about him than me. Maybe it's mama's boy thing, I don't know. I'm still bitter about it sometimes and I'm grown women now. So it's not always "firstborn is the best" thing
Load More Replies...