Since I'm a middle, today's my day. It's national Middle Child Day on August 12 every year. I'm not a firstborn, not a lastborn, or an only. I recently bought this book, The Secret Power of Middle Children and it is quite interesting. I am a typical middle; rebellious, trusting, avoids conflict and drama, and the one to leave the nest and not look back. Middles tend to have more close friend relationships, rather than close family relationships.
The first born child usually is dominant, aggressive, intelligent, defensive and jealous. They take this out on the middle child who is stealing their parental attention. So the middle decides to branch out and develop totally different personality characterists to amuse their parents. But then the last born or the next middle comes along, and that child again takes parental attention from the first and middle born.
The last born must then pick another unique trait to amuse their parents - lastborns typical are spoiled, want their own way, are comedians or jokesters, are followers rather than leaders and they try to make peace to avoid conflict too. The middle child learns that their parents do not have enough attention for all the children, so they turn to friends for their attention. A middle child would rather skip a family picnic to spend time with their best friend. Or read a book. They just don't need their families. It's not a negative thing, it's just how they are raised and have developed. Think about your friends who have moved across the country and set up life far from their families. Are they middles? Probably.
So, enjoy your day all you middles out there!
