Are middle children treated differently?

Answer 1

~I would hope so. What, you want all kids to be clones? Look on the bright side. If middle kids are treated differently then, ipso facto, so are the eldest and youngest. Duh.

Answer 2

I'm a middle child and I grew up feeling like my older sister got more respect and my younger sister got all the babying.. I now know that neither was true. My older sister was just the first to do everything, so it was always a bigger deal. My baby sister needed the cuddles and kisses more than I did. Middle children are more inclined to do for themselves because they feel like nobody else will. This puts off a false sense of independence to their parents. My parents bypassed the cuddling, the pep talks, the just-me-and-you days because they felt I didn't want them. I didn't ask for them because I felt THEY didn't want them. "Middle Child Syndrome" is quite common- and the only cure is for middle children to talk, not whine and not cry- to their parents and let them know exactly how they feel. Also, I resent the comment about middle children being the most dependent and biggest losers that was made above- Middle children are the most INDEPENDENT and the highest achievers because they NEVER get anything handed to them first. We have to make do with what's left over when the other 2 get done.

Answer 3

I have 4 children and I treat them and spend time with each and every one of them. And someone said that a middle child usually ends up being the BIGGEST loser is just terrible.

My husband is a middle child and retiring fromt he military after 21.5 years in ACTIVE duty service....ummmm that doesn't sound like a loser to me.

My son and daughter are middle children and my daughter has made straight A's ever since starting school is on the principals honor roll and is very independant. My son will be starting Kindergarten this year and is even MORE advanced than my daughter was when she started kindergarten.

Middle children are NOT the biggest losers.

It all depends on what parents do to insure that there middle children are just as wonderful as the first and last borns.

Answer 4

Definitely! I grew up in a family of 4 and was the second oldest. The two youngest were 11 mths. apart making me essentially the middle child. The oldest got everything and I paid for the mistakes that he made. The youngest got all the attention as they were always looked upon as needing the most direction because they were the youngest. Many times I was just left out. Not only did I feel left out but literally I was left out! An example - I remember coming upstairs to find my mom, dad, brother and two sisters watching a movie and eating popcorn. I asked them why they didn't call me up from the basement and the response was that they never thought to. I think this is why I only have one child!

Answer 5

In my opinion yes middle children are treated differently i know from experience they are the 2 usually but not always i was and i was treated way different than my brother (younger) and my sister (older) so i think any middle child will be treated differently!!

Answer 6

I think it depends on who you ask. One of my sisters is a middle child and she thinks she was treated differently. There were 2 older siblings and 2 younger ones. Your family dynamics has a lot to do with how the children are treated. If you're the middle child, consider yourself special. No one else in your family will have that distinction.

Answer 7

I hear this all the time but am at a loss as to why so many people think this, I am a middle child and was never treated any differently.

Answer 8

Hell yes they are!!!!! i am one myself and for some reason i get rejected by my parents as if there was something wrong with me.
The middle child often has a sense of not belonging. They fight to receive attention from parents and others because they feel many times they are being ignored or dubbed off. Parents need to realise that they should treat all their children with the same respect they wish to be treated with!

Answer 9

Seems to me that usually middle children are the ones that are coddled the most by the mother. I guess because they are not the oldest, not the youngest, so they are not as special as the others. Usually the middle child, seems to be the most dependent and the biggest loser of the family.

Stick with 2 kids.

Answer 10

Purposely and incidentally, yes. The first born always has the benefit of having the parents to herself for the first while.

After awhile, the first borns tend to be more successful in school and the youngest tends to be viewed as spoiled because s/he is smaller and therefore needs more attention most times. The parents either ignore the middle one - unintentionally because the kid is a good kid and gets overlooked, or they dote on the middle child to make up for attention paid to the other two.

Answer 11

Yes, I believe they are. From my own history, I was the baby of one family and then became the middle of another...my personal history is complicated. As the baby of the family I was showered with more affection but when I became the middle child, the affection remained but not at the same level. I envied both my elder brother and my new younger brother as I didn't shine as well. It is rough, but as I grew, I realized the expectations that my new dad placed on my elder brother and the lack of expectations placed on my younger sibling...so I sort of coasted being in between. My new dad expected my elder brother to be perfect, but I could slack off, while my baby brother was expected to do nothing worthwhile. My elder brother suffered from stress, acute stress because of dad's demands. We have all done well and my baby brother is a successful businessman. But I felt the difference and now appreciate the comfort of having been in the middle.