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Middle ChildA middle child is the most dramatic behaving of all kids. It makes sense as one is born having a sibling in place already. There is never satisfaction and feeling of being loved. I also think most middle children don't get as much attention and resources as the first and last child do.
As a middle child you may be told "you are too young to go to the party" and at the same time "you are too old to get this and that". Hence most middle kids feel misplaced in their families. They are neither old enough nor young enough. And every family has special treatment for the big child and some benefits for the youngest. Think about it, if your mother won a holiday ticket for two which child is she likely to take with? Yes, the oldest because she is old enough or the youngest because she is the baby in most cases.
A sad fact is that parents tend to compare their second child to their first. They want their second to be as successful, as talented and as smart. Parents need to realize that their kids are individuals and deserve to be acknowledged as such. On the other hand they may be less pushy with the middle child and younger siblings, resulting in a mediocre performance in activities.
A parent should try to accommodate and be sensitive to the needs of the middle child. As he/ she feels sandwiched between siblings, he may need to be heard by trying to be rebellious and to push the siblings down. This has most times resulted to siblings ganging against the middle one in siblings' rivalry.
The main role of the parent is to love kids the way they need to and nurture their different characters. There are parents who love all their kids dearly but fail to let them accept and love each other as siblings. We are born with others for a reason. And that reason is giving each other support and unconditional love. If you are a parent, strive to leave your children united and they will always turn to each other for what they needed from you. The only way to do that is by treating them in a similar way.
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