Speaking from experience, here are the five best, and five worst, things about being a middle child.
1. It's easy to slip under the radar.
Middle children get to do their own thing. You want to go for a long walk in the woods at dusk without your phone at the age of twelve? That's fine, considering your dad has probably already sat down with your older sibling to pour over their AP whatever homework, while your mom struggles to get your younger sibling to put pants on as they run around the house after their bath.
2. It's easy to slip under the radar.
Sometimes, middle children are forgotten. Like that time you went for a long walk in the woods at dusk without your phone at the age of twelve? Yeah, your parents didn't notice you were missing until midnight.
3. You’re not babied like the youngest.
Your youngest sibling gets treated like a child well into adulthood. They'll be 24 and counting, and Mom and Dad will still be calling them every night to say, I love you sugarmuffin, and sing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" until they fall asleep.
4. You’re not babied like the youngest.
On the other hand, middle children tend to grow up too fast. The second we hit puberty, it's time to get a job, grow a beard, and move out -- while your younger sibling still has Mom and Dad buying their pants until they graduate. Where are my pants, Mom and Dad?
5. You don't have to forge a path like the oldest.
Your oldest sibling has to deal with your parents becoming parents for the first time. They make mistakes: they might drop your sibling down the stairs once or twice. Or three times. They put a whole lot of pressure on their first kid, while your path is basically paved for you the second you're born. And your parents will only drop you down the stairs once. Don't worry, they learn.
6. You don't get to forge a path like the oldest.
Middle children are expected to follow in the footsteps of their older siblings and sometimes that blows. I think people tend to forget that us middle kids are our own people and maybe we don't want to be a goddamn athlete like our older sibling. Maybe we want to be a singer, Dad.
7. You know how to be a mediator.
Being born in the middle means you have an inherent skill for being in the middle of arguments and solving the crap out of them. We tend to be more levelheaded in a time of war, and it's easier for us to see both sides more clearly. So when your older sister starts irrationally yelling at your younger brother for stealing her tampons, you can step in the middle like a hero and tell her the cat is to blame.
8. You have to be the mediator.
Being the mediator is exhausting. And what if you're in the fight? What if everyone in your family is yelling at each other for stealing tampons? What happens, then? The world explodes and the cat wins -- that's what happens.
9. You have both sides of the spectrum.
You have no choice but to have an older sibling and a younger sibling. You've got your biggest critic and the most annoying gremlin in the world living under the same roof and you have to live with that. You have to deal with noogies and cheek pinching, and constantly living in someone else's shadow, while also dealing with nose picking and burping, and incessant complaining. The only time you can get away is when you go on those long walks in the woods at dusk with no phone.
10. You get to have both sides of the spectrum.
You get to have an older sibling and a younger sibling. How cool is that? You have someone to look up to, someone you can call a role model, and someone you can ask questions about the world you have yet to experience (even if they told you that eating Play Dough would give you superpowers). You also have someone who looks up to you, someone you can take care of, and someone who motivates you to be the best kind of person you can be. Even when they decide to streak in front of your prom date and first love.
Shout out to my older sister and younger brother: you guys made me who I am and I love you for it. Sis -- your shadow was a big one and it took me a long while to find my own light, but you taught me how to find the qualities that made me, me. Bro -- you are the most compassionate of us all, and you have taught me how to emanate your capacity for love in all aspects of my life.
Thanks guys. I mean it.
