Being sandwiched between two sibling s-- or four, who knows -- maybe even six may seem like the furthest thing from an ideal situation. For those kids who suffer from “the middle-child syndrome” this one is for you. I am here to say that we not only have to power through being the forgotten child together, but also have to embrace the skills that come with the inevitable birth order we were stuck into.
You’re self-motivated.
Being the vanilla ice cream of you and your siblings, you often felt overlooked. Your nearly impossible class schedule was nothing compared to your older sister’s 4.2 GPA, and your consistent good grades were under appreciated because the focus eventually became just making sure your little brother passed sixth grade. Don’t worry, though, because this has taught you to push yourself through tough times and see your truest worth. It also makes you extra appreciative of the moments you do get recognized.
Display your versatility.
I can almost guarantee that one of your siblings is super smart, and the other is probably super athletic (or something along those lines). While you may feel like you’re just average at everything you do I can also almost guarantee that you are more athletic than your brainiac older brother and smarter than your gold medalist younger sister. Take advantage of talents you possess and show them all off; sometimes quantity is just as good as quality!
You’re tough as hell.
Growing up, after your little brother came along and ruined being the youngest for you, you got the tough love. Your older brother was superior, the plans he made were more often approved by Mom and Dad than yours ever would be. You probably also got blamed by the other two when something broke because your baby brother was so cute, how could he do wrong!? While this was undeniably the worst growing up, you can look back now and say this made you resilient or at least really good at sucking it up when you don’t get your way.
You are an expert negotiator.
if you haven’t considered being a big businessman (or woman), CEO or lawyer then reconsider because being a middle child gave you the perfect skill set. Not being able to use the “…but I’m the oldest” line, like your older sister could, or not having the adorable pouty face like your little sister did when one of you breaks curfew taught you to make a list of justifications before walking in the door. You have to count solely on your brains and argumentative disposition. It comes naturally to you so you might as well make millions doing it.
Your personality is one of a kind.
Since birth order wasn’t on your side, and you’re not the first-born golden child, and you’re not the baby you have to get noticed somehow. Chances are, you are hesitant to be obnoxious or outgoing, but when you do take your moment to shine the personality that you were forced to develop as a middle child makes you truly exceptional. We forgotten children have a lot to share with the world and our uniqueness must not go unnoticed.
You end up with two (or four or six) best friends.
Growing up wasn’t easy; we who suffer from middle child syndrome know that better than anyone else. Your other siblings tended to pair up with each other and often times ganged up against you in ways that screamed, “We’re Mom and Dad’s favorites.” As the three, five, or seven of you begin to enter the real world you become closer than ever. Besides, they were around through every weird stage (dying your hair every color of the rainbow), strange hobby (knitting is cool, right?) and attention seeking habit (door slamming and stomping up the stairs) that at this point y’all are stuck with each other so you might as well just become best friends and make up for lost time. To all my fellow middle children out there: remember, you’re one of a kind; embrace the secret powers that came with being a middle child! Lastly, save a life -- have an even number of kids.
