Daily Struggles Only The Middle Child Will Relate To

1. People forget you exist.

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The first child is special - it was your parents' first baby, after all. Then you came along, and you were special for a little while, too. And then your youngest sibling had to ruin it. Now, all anyone asks about is "how's your eldest doing?" and "how's the baby?". Never, "hey, how's the forgotten-about middle child hanging in there?"

2. You feel like you're competing with your siblings all the time.

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If anyone does remember you exist, it's usually to compare you to one of your other siblings. Your sister was taller when she was your age. Looks like your younger brother is doing better than you did in school. It's always a competition when it comes to you and your siblings.

3. You're not as special as the youngest child.

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As the middle child, when you arrived all the attention was rightly on you, and not your elder sibling. But then another sibling came along, and all anyone can focus on is them. They're the bright point in your family, the longed-for baby. You're just the middle child.

4. You constantly get hand-me-downs.

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When you were born, you didn't get anything of your own - you inherited all your elder sibling's old clothes and toys. You couldn't want anything for yourself, especially if it had already been bought for your sibling. And, to make matters worse, you have to keep everything in good condition for your younger sibling.

5. You feel like you have to solve arguments.

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As the middle child, everyone always goes to you for argument mediation. If your elder and younger siblings are shouting at each other, you have to be there to solve it. And, if you ever get into an argument with your younger sibling, it's obviously your fault because you're the eldest.

6. You always had to do things by yourself.

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When you were born, you got some attention for a while, but then that all went to the youngest child. And so, as you grew up, you learned to do things by yourself as your parents were distracted with your other siblings. Tying shoelaces, doing homework: all of it was done alone.

7. Sitting in the middle car seat sucks.

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Nobody ever lets you choose your own seat in the car (you'd choose shotgun, obviously.) Instead, you get squashed into the middle back seat, so that your older sibling gets the door and your younger sibling can sit in a car seat. Even as you grow up, the middle seat remains your place, even if you don't want it.

8. You couldn't cheat and still win games.

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Your eldest sibling was always cheating at board games, with the excuse that they were just "playing the game better than you" because you were older. Your younger sibling, meanwhile, could cheat and get away with it because they either didn't understand the rules or people let them win.

9. People mistook you for your siblings.

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"Oh, sorry, I thought you were [elder sibling]!" How often has that happened to you? You're in a supermarket with your parent and a family friend starts approaching, only to think you're actually you're older sibling. Or, even worse, they think you're actually the youngest.

10. You always had to babysit your youngest sibling.

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While your elder sibling was off having fun and doing what elder teenagers do (they had the freedom to do that), you always got lumped with babysitting duty. Of course, your parents want a night out by themselves, but why is it always your responsibility, and never the eldest's?

11. You could never win an argument.

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If you ever did get into an argument with your siblings, it was all over for you. "Be nice to your younger sister," your parents would say. Or, if you argued with your eldest sibling, "Listen to your elders." It's impossible to win when you come second to both of your siblings.

12. You always had to listen to everyone else.

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It's not just your siblings that you have to listen to, but also everyone else. As the middle child, you were around when your eldest and youngest weren't, if they were off to college already or still in high school. And so off you went to family parties on your own, forced to listen to family gossip for hours.

13. The joy of constantly sharing a room.

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When you were born, you might've had your own room for a short time. You should have appreciated this more. Because then your younger sibling was born and when they were old enough, you got forced into a room with them so your elder sibling could have their own. Unfair!

14. Desperately trying to stand out from your siblings.

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When everyone forgets who you are entirely, or mistakes you for your siblings all the time, you realize that you're going to have to put some effort into being different. That means dodgy styling choices, dodgy haircuts (why did you get a short bob?) and even some niche interests to stand out.

15. You have to fight for attention.

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Part of this differentiating yourself is about fighting for attention. Your elder sibling always dominates the family news cycle because they're the first to do things, while your younger sibling's journey through school is also followed with passion. Meanwhile, you have to do things differently to get any attention.

16. You always have to act like an older sibling - even if you aren't really the eldest.

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Your parents seem to forget that you're the middle child, sometimes. Along with babysitting for your younger sibling at every opportunity, they also think you're older than you actually are, which can make for regular arguments. If you're being immature, you're told to act your age - but you are acting your age!

17. You always have to share your toys with your younger sibling.

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As a kid, all the toys you asked for for Christmas weren't really your toys, were they? In reality, your parents thought they could get away with giving you and your younger sibling toys that you could share, whether to save money or to encourage you to play together.

18. Your older sibling only sees you as younger.

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As the middle child, although you're older than your younger sibling, you're constantly seen as the 'younger sibling'. You're babied by your elder sibling, who thinks you'll never be as mature as them, and your younger sibling doesn't see you as their role model, only your elder sibling. It's a troubling position to be in.

19. Your achievements go under-appreciated.

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Parties are held when your elder sibling achieves something significant. And when your younger sibling graduates high school, there's another party. But for you? Because everything has been done before, and you're also not the 'last' sibling to do something, everything you do is forgotten about.

20. You're always the last one to get snacks.

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"Eldest first!" Or "youngest first!" How many times have you heard this when the pizza gets brought out, or a cake gets cut, or a tray of brownies is brought over? You're always the last one to get a pick, leaving you with the smallest, most-burned portions that nobody wanted.

21. Never feeling like you have a distinct personality.

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Because you're always compared to your siblings, it's a lot harder to consider yourself as your own person. Despite the grabs for attention, you're never really sure who 'you' are as the middle child. This identity crisis can last all the way into adulthood, leaving you to wonder what your personality even is.

22. Your stuff always gets passed down to your younger sibling.

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When you moved away for college, you left your room in your parents' house just as you like it (even if you still share with your sibling.) But what happens when you come back? You find that all the belongings you left behind are now your younger sibling's. How did this happen? Can you own nothing?

23. You're blamed for almost everything.

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As the middle child, apparently it's your duty to be blamed for absolutely everything bad that happens. Why? Because your elder sibling is obviously too mature to ever act out, while your younger sibling is still just an innocent baby in your parents' eyes (and will always remain one.)

24. You can never hang out with anyone.

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Things might have been strict for the eldest sibling (your parents' first child, with all the anxiety and paranoia that comes with that), but as middle child you really can't do anything. While your eldest sibling can sneak out to be with friends, because they're the oldest, and your younger sibling gets to do whatever they want, because there's no rules anymore, you're left at home alone.

25. And you get the worst presents.

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Because you don't have a distinct personality and find it hard to stand out, you also get bypassed when it comes to gifts. The eldest gets the coolest stuff, because they're the oldest, and the youngest gets spoiled with other gifts. But you? Nope, nothing good for the middle child.

26. You never get told the family gossip first.

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The eldest child is privy to all those little family secrets that you're just dying to know. And because your younger sibling asks too many questions, they get told things too. But when it comes to you, everyone in the family already assumes that you know things. You think my siblings are going to tell me? Absolutely not.

27. Your youngest sibling always tells on you.

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You might have the closest relationships ever with your siblings, and your younger sibling is still going to tell on you. They're too scared to snitch about the things your eldest sibling is doing, because they fear their eldest-sibling wrath, but you're easy to snitch on. They don't fear you.

28. And your eldest sibling thinks it's fun to still pick on you.

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At the same time as your younger sibling is telling your parents on you, your elder sibling is constantly picking on you. They know they could never get away with picking on your younger sibling because your parents would we watching like hawks, but you? You're easy to pick on. Nobody is ever watching.

29. Parents stacking you up against your eldest sibling.

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If you don't follow in your eldest sibling's footsteps, then you're basically a failure. Or, you have to out-achieve them, somehow. Your sibling got a football scholarship at college? You better hope that you're also incredible at sports - though not at football, because that's your sibling's thing.

30. You always have more chores than your siblings.

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Younger siblings have it easy. They never get any chores assigned to them, because they're not 'old enough' yet (they're never 'old enough'.) The eldest sibling, meanwhile, passes off all their chores onto you, so you always have double to do. It's never fair being the middle child.