People often laugh at the thought of “Middle Child Syndrome” being a real thing. I am here to tell you that it is.
I am a middle child, and often find myself feeling victimized in comparison to both my older and younger sisters. I am not in any way saying that my parents neglect me, because I know that they love each of their children the same and want nothing less than the best for all of us.
This does not go to say that there aren’t times when I don’t feel essential to my family dynamics. There are things that go along with being a middle child that are inevitable.
One of the inevitable is that we often feel invisible and left out. This might be just in our heads, but most of us often feel as if the things we do aren’t as big of a deal as what our parents’ first child and last child would be. When I was living at home, I always kept to myself and waited for the other members of my family to include me in their plans, often leaving me feeling as if my sisters were growing closer without me.
According to an article written on EverdayFamily, “middle children tend to be ‘rebels,’ more so than their other siblings.” Personally, this deems true for me in my family. It’s funny because my little sister always considers me as the crazy one, but it is only logical that I assume this position as a result of my feelings of invisibility. (The only down side is my parents often notice my rebellious actions.)
The older sibling is always the one who gets away with everything, which can be frustrating for the younger child at the time. Then when it comes time for the middle child to enter his/her teenage years, the mistakes that the older has made in the past haunt them, and they wind up living in their shadow. You can’t get away with anything because your older sibling managed to screw everything up. Finally, when it comes time to punish and shelter the youngest, the rules suddenly cease to exist.
The article also mentioned how middle children often end up being more outgoing than the rest of the children. This is an interesting assertion being as middle children are often found to be more prone to depression as well.
It is important to note that the “Middle Child Syndrome” does not apply if the child is of a different gender. This is because the first child of each gender is treated like the firstborn, because that is essentially what they are due to their drastically different gender qualities.
Essentially, it can be gathered that middle children need to be given special attention in order for them to feel comfortable and worthy of a place in their family dynamics. This might also be why middle children like myself crave attention and feel the need to be adored and complimented by the other people in their lives.
I love my family, and I don’t blame my parents for their decision to have three children together. Being a middle child has its ups and downs, and it is important to remember that most of the things we as middle children are feeling are all over exaggerated in our heads.
Our parents don’t neglect us and we don’t go unloved. We are just special, and just happened to be born in the lesser of the sibling order.
