All the middle children out there usually are presented with the opinion that being a “middle child” means that they will get less attention from their parents. Will they always be in the shadow of their older sibling? At times, these things can be true though being a middle child myself has taught me that most of the time not being the oldest of the family can be more of an advantage than a disadvantage.
Being the middle child has a lot more pros than cons.
1. Being the second born means everything your older sibling had to wait till 12 to do/have…you did/got when you were only 10 or younger! You got your first bike; nerf gun, pocket knife, and even your first cell phone years before your older sibling.
2. Your parents were always so worried about not giving you enough attention, because of all the stereotypes of “middle children." So in return, they overcompensated and gave you LOADS more attention than your older and younger siblings. This was especially true in your younger years. All parents with a middle child are determined to have THEIR middle child be the exception to the rule.
3. Siblings fight, it's inevitable in all families. The best part about being the middle child, though, was the older sibling ALWAYS got in trouble instead of you and no matter what you aways had somebody on your side. The older sibling was either a bully or, the younger sibling was a being a baby. Either way you got away with stuff.
4. Having an older sibling can sometimes be hard, they constantly feel the need to be wise and guide you. Sometimes when you are annoyed with your older sibling, the best truth is you have another even younger sibling to take your place as the “apprentice” of your older sibling. Even better you can practice all of your revenge for the older sibling, on your younger sibling first. After all, I am sure they somehow both deserve it.
5. The oldest child always has certain pressures to do things first. Being the middle child requires no pressure to finish college first, no pressure to get married first, no pressure to have kids first. You're the middle child! Enjoy your freedom and don't rush. In fact, we can sit back and watch our older sibling makes mistakes in their formative years and then learn from those mistakes and do better. It's healthy competition if you think about it, but the point is there is no pressure with the timeline because the older sibling is paving that road alone.
Everyone always assumes that being the middle child is the worst thing in the world. That having to balance an older sibling with a younger sibling is just too much. That is just not true! Being a middle child, I believe is much better than being the eldest or baby of the family. The perks of being a middle child are abundant. You are not smothered because you are the youngest child, but also not given and an enormous amount of responsibility like the first born is. The freedom and joy of being a middle child are overlooked.
I think most people assume that "middle child syndrome" is a rule for all middle children, but it's all about how you choose to look at it. Birth order is just that, birth order, it doesn't define a person or how their childhood will be experienced.
