We always hear about middle child syndrome and the struggles the middle sibling faces in their family. However, I really believe there is a lot to think about in terms of what it is really like to be the third child. As the third child myself, I have become pretty accustomed to being the youngest in my family. I definitely cannot complain though—there are some perks of being the third child. So regardless of what you consider the pros and cons of being the oldest versus youngest, I just want to show the realities of what it is really like to grow up as the third child.

You ALWAYS get stuck in the middle seat

To this day, I am still always stuck in the middle seat whenever I go anywhere with my whole family.

At some point in your life, your parents probably briefly misplaced you

It's not a matter of them not caring, its more of the fact that each parent only has two hands and three kids to hold on to. There also are the times when both parents think the other one has you.

You are EXTREMELY independent

My parents always say that I started doing a lot of things for myself at a very young age. Whether or not this was a good thing at the time, it is definitely a great quality to have now.

You most likely got away with a lot more than your siblings did

By the time the third kid gets to their troublemaking stage, their parents have already dealt with so much with the first two, that they tend to be a lot more lenient.

You got everything a lot earlier than your siblings did

Personally, I think this is just because I am awesome so I got things like a cell phone and computer earlier than my two other siblings. But maybe this is just a benefit of being the third.

You probably have the smallest room in the house you grew up in

I am still convinced my room was originally an office that was turned into a bedroom once the other rooms were occupied.

90% of the time you are probably called the wrong name

Sometimes it takes going through the whole family's (including the dog's name) before I am called the correct name.

Your parents learned some lessons and figured out some things before they got to you

This one is a HUGE positive of being the third. Your siblings got to be the guinea pigs and by the time it was your turn, everything was already figured out.

You grew up being called so and so’s sibling

Even if you look nothing like your siblings or act like them at all whatsoever, you will ALWAYS be so and so's brother or sister.

Your wardrobe is probably 80% hand-me-downs and 20% new clothing

This may be annoying when you are younger, but as I got older I was psyched to get my sisters clothes. Is it still considered a hand-me-down if I just took it and it wasn't technically given to me, though?

How your siblings acted in high school can REALLY impact what your four years will be like

Having teachers who had your older siblings can either be a great think or be the worst thing to every happen to you.

At the end of the day, you would rather be the third than the middle or oldest, so you'll take what you get