Being a middle child isn’t easy. We aren’t the oldest, so we have no authority, and we aren’t the baby so we can’t get away with anything.
This doesn’t mean middle children aren’t interesting and special, though. We are strong, independent and can deal with pretty much anything life has to throw at us.
We’re great at sharing and pros at adapting.
Here are 15 things only a middle child can really understand.
1. We are empathetic and open minded.
We grew up seeing the world not only through our own eyes, but the eyes of our older and younger siblings.
We indirectly got to experience things from their perspective and it makes us flexible, understanding, and builds a strong sense of empathy.
2. We’re super responsible.
We get the privilege (and let’s face it, sometimes fun) of watching our older siblings make mistakes that we then get to learn from.
We already know better at an early age because we’ve seen the consequences of their actions. It’s a nice perk.
3. Sometimes we get ignored.
Occasionally the middle child just gets overshadowed by older and younger siblings, so we’re used to not being in the spotlight.
It’s not all bad though, we don’t tend to crave attention much and we appreciate celebrating other people’s achievements.
4. We’re good at just going with the flow.
We were often looked to in order to break ties or make decisions when others were fighting over things, even if we weren’t involved in the outcome.
This makes us good at relaxing in tense situations and going with the flow.
5. We are proud of who we are.
We’ve spent a lot of our lives blending in and we’re not too interested in continuing the trend as we get older.
We have seen from watching our siblings that your unique traits and quirks are what make you memorable and interesting, so we’re happy to embrace our individuality in a big way.
6. We understand fairness and are the most reasonable.
We watched our older siblings get severe punishments for small infractions, while our younger siblings got away with murder most of the time.
This instills a strong sense of fairness and justice in us early on and we tend to be very reasonable.
7. We worked hard for praise.
We had elder siblings who set high standards for praise and congratulation in our family, while our younger siblings often seemed to get praise for doing anything at all.
As middle children, we had to work hard and go above and beyond to earn praise from our parents, so we understand the value of work ethic and determination.
8. We are walking encyclopedias sometimes.
We had to put a lot of extra effort into getting noticed by parents, so we end up developing a lot of wacky hobbies and learning as many fun facts and tricks as possible to garner that attention.
This trait follows us into adulthood and makes us popular at parties because we always have something neat or interesting to tell or show you.
9. We got to feel older and younger growing up.
One day we could be getting into trouble with one of our older siblings and their friends, and the next we might be playing tea party with the little ones.
It makes for a unique experience.
10. We’re excellent negotiators.
We didn’t have the advantage of being the older “mature” kid, but we also couldn’t use the “baby of the family” angle to get what we wanted, so we got really really good at negotiating.
We’re great debaters, and we almost never lose an argument. Sometimes this is just because we know when to let things go.
11. We fought hard for everything we have.
Middle children have to fight hard for every bit of ground they can get. From the TV remote to the use of Dad’s car, we grew up scrapping and clawing for the things we wanted and it makes us tenacious adults.
12. We know how to stand our ground.
The middle child is constantly caught up in disagreements and battles between siblings, and this means being called up on to take a side.
We learned how to stand our own grand and never take a side, avoiding drama and standing up for ourselves at the same time.
13. We are always diplomats.
Always being in the middle of things between others makes for pretty good practice at diplomacy and diffusing situations.
We are great peace makers and generally will do whatever we can to keep everybody happy and civil.
14. We’re great at sharing.
If the middle child got something new, the siblings were immediately asking to play with or use it and we didn’t mind.
We got used to hand me downs and a whole lot of borrowing and lending as kids. We’re never stingy.
15. We are pop culture pros.
We were exposed to the whole range of media as kids. Our older siblings were always sneaking in the PG-13 films and uncensored CD’s while our younger ones were constantly turning on Disney classics and popular kids shows.
We can tell you just about anything about our generation of pop culture.
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