Everyone has probably heard the term "middle-child syndrome." Middle-child syndrome is not actually a disorder, but more so used to explain someone's behavior. It refers to feeling excluded, left out or forgotten. The reason why it's referred to as middle-child syndrome is because, in a family setting, the oldest child receives privileges and responsibilities while the youngest is considered the baby, leaving the middle child with no real role anymore. But, being the middle child is actually the best.

I grew up as one of five (on my dad's side) and one of four (on my mom's side). My dad had a daughter before he met my mom, so on my dad's side, I'm right in the middle. Now, my oldest sister didn't live with us while I was growing up; she stayed with us sometimes, but she lived with her mom. A lot of people argued that I was able to share the middle, but I shared the middle with my younger brother who was the only boy in our family. Therefore, he got some preferential treatment too. So I do consider myself the middle child, but I'm really grateful for it and here are some reasons why.

1. I get to be a role model.

I get to be an example for my younger brother and sister. I can work hard and give them something to aspire to. I'm able to take care of them and give them advice when they need it.

2. I get to have a role model (or two).

I can look up to my older sisters. I can follow in their footsteps and strive to be as good as them. They have experienced most of everything I'm going through so I can look to them for guidance and advice.

3. I can make mistakes.

Despite loving my role model opportunity, if I make a mistake, I can tell my younger siblings not to make the same mistakes I did. Instead, I can point to our older siblings for advice in the areas I'm not so good in.

4. I can usually fly under the radar.

While my parents are focused on how grown their oldest kids are and teaching them about the privileges and responsibilities of being an adult and still babying my younger siblings, I can go by unnoticed and not have to worry about responsibilities or the overbearing attention from them. Also, parents are usually so worried about making sure the older kids are doing okay with their responsibilities and that the younger kids don't need help, that middle kids can usually get away with doing whatever they want.

5. I'm able to be extremely close with my friends.

Growing up, I didn't want to hang out with my younger siblings and do baby stuff and I couldn't hang out with my older siblings because I wasn't cool enough at the time. This made me extremely close with my friends because that's who I wanted to spend time with.

6. I became really good at persuading people.

I was independent as a kid, and I didn't really get anything handed to me as most middle children don't. This is because they were never an only child at any point in their lives, and they weren't the baby for very long, so I had to become really good at persuading my parents to give me what I wanted.

7. I was able to be independent.

I stopped asking my parents for help at a young age because they were helping my younger siblings. This allowed me to think for myself and to become my own person at a younger age.

8. I had a very long rebellious stage.

From dying my hair different colors to getting into a little bit of trouble, I was able to embrace a rebellious stage (which was probably because I wanted attention).

9. I'm very empathetic.

While my parents were helping my other siblings through things in their lives, I often felt like I was forgotten. This helped me to be much more aware of others' feelings and allowed me to understand what others are going through.

10. Most importantly, you can use middle-child syndrome as an excuse for your behavior.

If I really feel like being an asshole, I can just blame it on middle-child syndrome.

While many people associate being a middle child with negative qualities, it's actually really awesome to be a middle child.