The Middle Child

Middle-born children will tell you that they usually didnt feet all that special while growing up. The first-born has his spot-carrier of the family banner and responsible for everything. The last born had his comfy little role, but the middle born had no distinctive place to call his own.. Middle-borns just seem to be easily overlooked and maybe that's why there are so few pictures of them in the family photo album.

Many middle born children typically place a great importance on their peer group. The middle child is well known for going outside home to make friends faster than anybody else in the family. When a child feels like a fifth wheel at home, friends become very important; as a result, many middle children tend to be social lions of the family.

Middle children have the propensity to leave home first and live farther away fro the family than anyone else. They are the ones who will most oftenly physically distance themselves from the rest of the family. It's not necessarily because they're on the outs with everyone else. They simply like doing their own thing, make their own friends, and live their own lives..

All of this not to say that the middle children totally ignore their siblings or the rest of the family. One common characteristic of the middle child is that she is a good mediator or negotiator. She comes naturally into this role because she's often right in the middle, between big brother and little, sister whatever the case may be. And because she can't have Mom or Dad all to herself, she learns the fine art of compromise. Obviously, these skills are asssets in adult life, and middle children often become the best adjusted adults in the family.

(excerpt from Living in a Step-Family without Getting Stepped On)