Are rule-breaking children destined for great things?

Now a friend has brought to my attention a study finding defiant, rule-breaking children are more likely to be “educational overachievers and high-earning adults”.

Apparently, rule-breaking children are more likely to be “educational overachievers”.

• Home workouts
• Interrupting kids

Another day, another report of another psychology study into character traits.

A few weeks ago, I relayed to you the personally cheering news that apparently people who swear a lot are more honest (&*%$ yeah!).

Now a friend has brought to my attention a study finding defiant, rule-breaking children are more likely to be “educational overachievers and high-earning adults”.

Cue much pathetically grateful relief from worn-out parents of stubborn kids … and some of us pondering why we’re not billionaires ourselves after putting our oldies through the wringer.

I’ve often wondered if they publish these sorts of studies in part to get frazzled mums and dads through the day – and night.

Having a child who breaks the rules is not always bad news.

If so, I’d like to see some work from the Department of It’ll All Be Worth It Later that comprehensively proves tricky toddlers grow into delightful teenagers (as a well-meaning friend once told me) or that babies who don’t sleep will become High Court judges.

Or that homework-shirkers will mutate into the sort of inspirational teachers they make Hollywood movies about, or even that fussy eaters will refine into feared food critics who can make or break a restaurant on the strength of its brussels sprouts. Throw us a bone here, science!

Actually I’m just hoping they uncover a strong correlation showing that red-headed children are most likely to look after their mothers in old age. (Asking for a friend.) If you can’t get enough of this sort of research, have a gander at the stuff about birth order, or how your position in the family can influence your personality.

There’s huge fun – and some bracing “discussions” over Christmas lunch – to be had with this subject.

It will all be “worth it” in the end, or at least when your tricky toddler grows up.

In (very) short, it suggests oldest siblings are high-achieving, more responsible approval-seekers; middles the peacemakers and attention-seekers who often feel invisible; and youngest the outgoing charmers who have more freedom.

How does this measure apply to big families – is there a sliding scale?

Is the second of six children a bit less serious than the oldest but substantially less carefree than the fifth? Do the firstborns have a snowball’s chance in hell on the stand-up comedy circuit? Can anyone remember the name of that fourth kid?

Recently a survey out of Britain shared on Facebook by every youngest sibling I know reported that we rate ourselves the funniest. Take that with a grain of salt.

If you Google “youngest sibling” it suggests the most popular searches are “... is the smartest”, “... is the best”, “better looking” and “most intelligent” – perhaps only really proving we youngest may just be massively insecure.

As the last child of three, I can tell you that elder siblings keep their Easter eggs longer, get to stay up later and are, in my opinion, overly protective of their possessions such as, as a random example, secret diaries.

I can also state that the youngest is more likely to have suffered a dead leg from their older brother. These are rock-solid scientific facts.

Miranda Murphy is a mother of three and a journalist at The Australian.

Follow her on Twitter @murphymiranda