Middle Children, often pegged as the victims of "middle child syndrome, " or better yet, considered to be the "forgotten middle child." Yeah, yeah, we have heard all the puns, and no, they haven't gotten any funnier with time. But why does everyone think we have it so bad? Maybe it's because we are so well-behaved they are jealous or that we cause the least amount of trouble (usually). But without us, there would be no oldest child or youngest child, so basically we make the family whole. And if you don't believe us so-called blend-in children, here are some hidden gems that make being in the middle pretty darn great:

You are awesome at sharing. Whether it be your clothes, your car, your room, you are the go-to. Something that not all of us can pride ourselves in saying because let's be honest who really likes to share their stuff?

You are the peacemaker. Sibling battles are intense and they can seem never ending. But who is usually the one that breaks up the chaos? That's right, us middle kids. And why you ask? Because we have the advantage of being the in-between, we have the inside scoop, making whom we choose to side with the most logical or right choice. As peacemaker, the middle children have the upper hand because we are trust worthy and our siblings understand that we can see more clearly than them.

You get to be both the younger and the older sibling. Many people do not get the privilege of understanding what it takes to be an older brother or sister, as well as a being a younger one. As a middle child you learn to appreciate that being older takes a lot of responsibility and you understand how much you want to protect your younger sibling from all the badness in the world. However, as the middle child you don't have to shoulder all of this responsibility alone, you have someone else to help guide you and you can work as a team. As the middle child, you also get to be a younger sibling, which means that you have siblings who can give the best lived advice they can offer. They will help you pay for your groceries and help you through relationships and heartbreak. It really is the best of both worlds.

You develop a strong relationship with each individual sibling. The middle children have the ability to connect with each sibling no matter the difference in age because of all the kids in the family, they have been in their lives the most. Often times the oldest child and youngest child tend to butt heads the most, because they have such a wide gap in age that they are not able to connect with which stage of life the other is facing. But as a middle child you are present for it all, you can remember how scary it was when your eldest sibling learned to drive and you were there when your little sister took her first steps. This is such an incredible gift us middle children have received and we are lucky to have strong memories with each sibling.

You can learn from mistakes and pass on advice. As a middle child, you have the opportunity to witness all the errors and achievements from your older siblings. You quickly understand what you can get away with and what you cannot. Thanks to your older siblings you know that wearing an old bracelet your mom told you to get rid of probably isn't a good idea. You also know how much greatness you can accomplish when you work hard because they have set such a great example for you. Then not only do you hold these lessons dear to your heart, but you can pass them on to your younger sibling.

You have learned when to listen and when to speak up. So many clichés refer to middle children as either rebels or quiet little kids whom are really shy. However, middle children can certainly keep up with the rest of the family and just like the other kids, they will both disappoint their parents as well as make them proud. As middle children, we have sat through several topics of conversation that don't necessarily apply to us (college conversations when you were 10 years old). But then when it is our time for the spot light, we receive the same amount of attention and patience as the other kids (even if the older/younger ones don't love it).

So, you see, being a middle child is pretty awesome. Maybe we aren't the life of the party or the dramatic one, but we certainly hold a strong place in the family.

Middle children may be underrated, but don't underestimate us.