There's a certain stigma around being the middle child. Some call it the "middle child syndrome" because the middle child can be sort of thrown to the side of the things. However, for me, I absolutely LOVE being the middle child. Having both an older sister and a younger brother adds so much fun, excitement, and love into my life; I couldn't imagine it any other way. Here's why being the middle child is the best:

1. You get the best of both worlds

As a middle child, you have an older sibling to look up to and a younger sibling to pass your wisdom on to. You never have to be the guinea pig of the family but you also get to have a little sibling to look out for and show around to all of your friends!!

2. You’re close in age to both of your siblings

In the middle, you have the smallest age gap with each of your siblings. This means you get to have a friend-like relationship with your siblings and be able to share secrets and gossip with both of them.

3. You get the most freedom

Some middle children may see this as neglect, but I see it as a blessing. My parents pay just as much attention to me as they do to my siblings. However, they are definitely more laid back when it comes to me.

I'm definitely a more independent person because of this; I was never treated as the baby of the house, so I've learned to do things on my own much earlier than my siblings.

4. You know how to mediate things

Being in the middle requires a certain kind of personality. You have to be able to deal with the strong personalities of an oldest and youngest child. So, naturally, you've become the mediator of the family.

5. You don’t have to do the jobs of the oldest

The oldest child definitely carries a lot of extra weight. They are the first to make it through high school, go to college, get a job, and in a way create standards for the rest of the family. They don't have an older sibling to follow and take advice from, instead they pass this down to me :)

6. AND you don’t have the annoyances of being the youngest

The youngest child has to deal with always being the baby of the family. They always have to sit in the back seat, go last in line, and had to sit outside when they were too short to go on the rides at amusement parks.

7. You never have to be home alone

My older sister had a solid three years of being the only child before I was born. Now, my younger brother is the only kid at home because my sister and I are both at school. Alone time with my parents is great, but I don't think I would want to be living at home for a long period of time without my siblings.

In the end, my siblings are my two built-in best friends. They make my life better, and I'm so thankful to have both of them.