I've never experienced what it is like to be the first or last child. It used to just be my mom, dad, brother and I until my parents had my sister. Everything was fine until I started suffering from "middle child symptoms." Here are 10 problems I've had to deal with as the "middle child."
1. Always being asked questions about your siblings.
It doesn't matter where you are: school, in a movie theater, at your friend's house; you are always asked questions about your siblings. How old is your brother? Does your sister have a job? Do you have other siblings? Are you tired of being asked these questions? Yes, I am actually.
2. Not receiving special treatment or favoritism.
Do you remember when your older sibling was allowed to have friends over even though he/she didn't do anything to help around the house? Or when your younger sibling got out of doing something because it was too "hard" for them? Of course then when you asked to do anything or tried to finagle your way out of a task, it ended up backfiring in your face and you ended doing more than you intended.
3. Always receiving hand-me-downs.
Anybody who has ever had an older sibling understands what it's like to get hand-me-downs. You wanted that new shirt from the mall? There's no need to spend more money, just take your sister's old shirt. You wanted a new car? That's too expensive, just use your brother's old car while he buys his new car. Most of your clothes/possessions were probably from older siblings and in rough condition. It was a miracle when you received something that you could truly call "yours."
4. Not being the oldest sibling, but also not being the youngest sibling.
At one point, you were the youngest member of the family. But that luxury faded, along with your freedom and attention. Not only did you have to listen to and respect your older sibling, but you had to be nice to your younger sibling. If your parents ever caught you doing anything remotely suspicious, you would be punished even if what you did was extremely minute. It's not my fault, I'm just trying to get your attention back to the sibling that matters.
5. Losing what little bit of freedom you had.
Remember the days you could go to the mall and hang out with your friends (and their parents)? Or when you finally got your first cell phone (a flip phone with only 100 minutes)? Or how about that one time you were allowed to stay up past bedtime (only by like 10 minutes)? But as soon as you got a younger sibling, all the freedom dissipated. Your parents thought you were setting a bad example, so they decided that if your sibling couldn't do it, neither could you. Now that your looking back, you realize you didn't really have much freedom in the first place.
6. People tend to forget about you...a lot.
Sometimes your thoughts and opinions get lost in a conversation, especially when the group is super big. Some of your other siblings might stress the importance of his/her conversation over yours, leaving you to sit quietly and just listen to them talking about his/her profession for the thirtieth time. The only person who cares about talking to you is your grandma who's asking if you've been accepted to college yet.
7. Being compared to your other siblings... ALL THE TIME.
If you do something wrong or anything that can be perceived as less than your siblings, prepare to be compared to them. You don't even have to do anything wrong, just breathe and be normal and someone will find something to criticize you on. You have a pull in your sweater? "Well, your sister never had this issue and she always looked tidy and appropriate unlike you." Well, last time I checked, I wasn't my sister.
8. Having to live up to expectations.
Since your older sibling managed to graduate high school with a 4.0 GPA, valedictorian, a prized player of the soccer team, various leadership roles and a member of over 15 clubs and honor societies, you have a lot to live up to. At this rate, you might have to fly to the moon and back to impress your parents and make them proud. But even that seems like a landslide. Just expect your small certificates to be placed under your sibling's on the refrigerator.
9. Learning to be independent and fend for yourself at a young age.
Since people tend to forget about you sometimes, this means they also forget things like making you dinner or taking you to sports practice. Because of this, you learn how to fend for yourself at a reasonably young age. You learn how to survive off of endless bowls of cereal and bags of Cheez-its in the cabinet. You manage to carpool, find a ride or just walk to events. At this point, you should be a pro at surviving on your own so college should be a breeze for you.
10. Sibling rivalries.
Whenever there is a fight in the house involving siblings, you have to step in and mediate the fight. It's almost like being a referee at a soccer match. You have to call out when one sibling is being overdramatic or unfair, and you have to listen to both sides of the argument. The only problem is when both siblings turn to you and ask "who's right?"
I do have to admit, being the middle child isn't as bad as I thought it would be. Sometimes, I'm even glad I'm not an only child. They are always there for me when I need them, and I can always rely on them for unconditional love and support. So don't worry if you're the middle child or the middle-child-to-be, your family will love you no matter what.
