Are you a middle child? Having both a younger and an older sibling will shape you as a person, making you emotionally strong in ways you never expected. There are some amazing benefits to being the middle child, but you learn these over time.
Check out 15 strengths of middle children.
1. They Are Responsible
The oldest child made mistakes, the middle child watched the mistakes being made, and the youngest child was somewhere else, probably playing with toys. This taught the middle child to be responsible and not make the same mistakes – well, most of them, anyway.
2. They Are Good At Negotiation
The middle child learnt to negotiate with their parents and siblings, while the oldest demanded and the youngest whined. They grow into master negotiators, often able to get their own way.
3. They Are Great Empathisers
After feeling overshadowed as a child, the middle child can always relate to an underdog. They will often go out of their way to cheer up someone who is feeling low.
4. They Make Good Leaders
Middle children spend a good chunk of their childhood in the middle of a screaming fight between their siblings, so they quickly figure out how to fix the problem and appease everyone, meaning they often make great leaders later in life.
5. They Are Focused On Fairness
Due to the injustices they have experienced – getting unfashionable hand-me downs and having to share all of their favorite toys, middle children really care about being fair and equal.
6. They Don’t Have Huge Egos
The order of birth means the middle child can have slightly lower self-esteem, but this isn’t necessarily a bad thing – it is rare for a middle child to have a huge ego.
7. They Are Often Easy Going
Middle children learn to go with the flow at a very young age, as they spent their childhood in the middle of their siblings’ battles. The battles seem kind of pointless now; they were mostly about which game to play or whether they would play inside or outside, but they helped shape the middle child as a person.
Middle children may seem indecisive, but they are normally just more relaxed and flexible than the average person.
8. They Are Willing To Rebel
Being the middle child often means you get less attention, so at some point most children in the middle will rebel, even if that rebellion is just dying a purple streak in their hair.
It is normally a harmless rebellion for some much-needed attention, but it teaches them to not fear being controversial, and to take chances later in life.
9. They Are Independent
The middle child spends their whole childhood surrounded by siblings, and while they adore their siblings, they really appreciate any alone time they get. They don’t need people around them all of the time, and they understand the importance of solitude.
10. They Are Great With Children
The middle sibling helped to raise their younger sibling, even when they are just telling them to not actually eat the mud pie they just made. Because of this, middle children are often great around children – whether they like it or not.
11. They Avoid Conflict
After years of being in the middle of their sibling’s fights, middle children learn to avoid conflict. This means they are likely to be kind and generous, but don’t try to take advantage of them – they won a few fights with their siblings, too.
12. They Make Great Decisions
Middle siblings were old enough to be curious, as well as young enough to not know better. They have witnessed their older sibling’s errors, but enjoyed their younger sibling’s curious naivety at the same time.
As they factor both mind-sets into their decision, they normally make pretty awesome decisions.
13. They Are Loved By Their Siblings
Being in the middle meant they had a lot in common with both of their siblings; they could play make believe with their youngest sibling, and they could watch TV shows with their oldest sibling. So the middle child is everyone’s favorite – secretly, of course.
14. They Are Patient
After spending years patiently waiting for their turn to play on the PlayStation/go on the swing/any other activity they had to do with their siblings, middle children have seriously mastered the art of patience.
15. They Are Creative
It took a lot of creativity and planning for the middle child to actually get a significant amount of attention from their parents. From taking a weird, interesting class to creating your own secret language, middle children were creative from the very beginning.
Can you think of anymore strengths a middle child has? Comment your ideas below!
