Today is Middle Child’s Day, a day to celebrate those who often find themselves in this unfavourable position.
As the middle child, you have an older sibling, who you have to somehow live up to; you have a younger sibling, who gets all of the attention, and you are left with no clearly defined role.
Created by Elizabeth Walker in the 1980s, the day intends to honour those children “born in the middle of families” whom she felt were “left out”.
But being a middle child is not all that bad. This is why:
1. You actually don’t fight all that much with your siblings
2. You’re independent
4. You’re good at remaining calm and neutral in tense situations
It was hard for you to pick a side growing up, because you’re close to your older and younger siblings in different ways. So when any issues of conflict arise, you’re more likely to play fair and keep calm, rather than lose your temper or stoop to any low levels.
5. You’re tough
You have a thick skin. Years of being forgotten about does that to you.
6. You have great negotiating skills
Generally, the older sibling demands and the younger sibling whinges – so you can use that to your advantage.
7. You think outside the box
Growing up as a middle child sometimes made you feel like your parents weren’t always paying attention to you. This taught you to not see everything in black and white and work outside the norm.
8. You’re happy to not be the centre of attention, because it generally means you can do your own thing without being interrupted
Sure, as a child you may have felt like you were ignored or overshadowed. But as a teenager you probably used this to your advantage.
9. You’re not afraid to take risks
Whether it’s bungee jumping or moving to a new city, you’re usually pretty fearless.
10. You’re more likely to fly under the radar at extended family gatherings
Mainly because tannie Martie and the like can remember all your siblings names but not yours. So go hide in that corner with the party food and know you’re better off than your siblings.
11. You’re empathetic towards others
Having your feelings so often forgotten when growing up has made you a better, more empathetic person.
12. You’re a lot more well-adjusted than what people would think
This is because your parents never had super high expectations for you, nor was everything handed to you on a silver platter. That makes for one well-rounded individual.
13. Your older sibling had to do all the scary stuff like attend high school and move out of home before you
So their experiences made you feel somewhat prepared at least.
14. But you were able to pass down great words of wisdom to your younger sibling
“Sit down. I’m going to tell you how babies are made.”
15. Middle children are in powerful company
Famous middle children include Madonna and Martin Luther King Jr.