When I was younger and told people I was a middle child, I was always met with sympathetic stares as if everyone felt bad for me. The truth was, I felt bad for myself too. I always thought I was so unlucky to be the middle child because I couldn't figure out my place in my family. My older sister got to be the "most experienced" and my younger sister got to be the "baby of the family." I was the stereotypical middle child who suffered from "Middle Child Syndrome" and thought I was always ignored. Luckily, as I've gotten older, I've realized that being the middle child isn't as bad as I used to think it was. In fact, it has it perks, and may just be the best location in the birth order. Here are some reasons why being a middle child should be appreciated.
1. You have an older sibling to look up to and a younger sibling who will look up to you.
You get the best of both worlds. You can get advice, give advice, have a role model and be a role model.
2. There are a lot of analogies about you.
In any moment, you can be compared to the cream of an Oreo cookie, which is everyone's favorite part.
3. You're not the guinea pig.
You're lucky to not have to go into any situation blind. Your older sibling has probably done whatever you're going to do so you'll always be prepared. You can learn from their mistakes before you make the mistakes on your own.
4. You have a younger sibling to blame things on.
It's a rite of passage
5. Hand-me-downs.
Love that shirt your older sibling wears all the time? Wait a couple of years and soon it'll be yours.
6. You don't have to sit in the middle seat in the car.
That's the youngest sibling's job.
7. Anne Hathaway, Britney Spears and Chris Hemsworth are middle children.
That's pretty good company.
8. You'll always have someone to play with.
If your older sibling doesn't want to play with you, your younger sibling probably will.
9. You get to pose in the middle in family pictures.
Front and center with all the attention? Yes, please! It's all we've ever wanted.
10. You're the only sibling who gets to know what it's like to be an older, middle and younger sibling.
You're unique; not a lot of people get to experience this.
As much as I struggled with being a middle child, I now know that there is a lot more to love than to complain about.
