Being a middle child has negative connotations. I remember when my parents first told me I was no longer going to be the youngest, but rather, a middle child. I was fairly disappointed. I was no longer going to be the baby of the family, receiving all the benefits and perks.

However, now that I have been a middle child for about eight years now, I can honestly say I love it. Not only do you have a role model to look up to, you can be a role model for someone else. Sure it gets annoying having to only wear hand-me-downs from your older sibling or babysit for your younger sibling, but the good aspects outweigh the bad.

You have someone to give you advice, while you are always there to give advice as well. Of course, there are moments when you feel you are not getting the attention of either of your siblings, but hey, that can be used to your advantage. You are often given more freedom than your other siblings, and therefore, you are independent.

You often times have to fend for yourself. You are very empathetic. Since your feelings do not always go noticed, it is easy for you to relate to others. Your older sibling had to do all the scary parts of life before you, such as leaving home and going off to college.

Since you practically raised your younger sibling, you are great with kids. You know how to care for them just as a mother does. So ditch the common stereotype of how being a middle child is awful- embrace it, because there is nothing quite like it. I wouldn’t trade being a middle child for the world.