The oldest child is known for being bossy, while the youngest is known for getting their way. What does that mean for the middle child? As a middle child, I ask myself this question a lot. There really is no exact answer that just pertains to my personality when it comes to being a middle child. However, there is a stereotype that belongs to middle children; we are overlooked. A research study done by Healthline says that middle children don’t stand out to their parents as much as their siblings. I heard this, and it led me to wonder if I was ever overlooked by my mom. Being stuck in between my siblings age wise, I have felt overlooked before. I do not mean my mom does not pay attention to me, I mean that she does not feel like I need as much attention as my other two siblings. 

I have an older sister, giving my mom a practice round to feel for things. As we got older, I did many things that my sister did. In a way, she was a mentor in my life. Since I had her, my mom did not need to look over my shoulder 24/7. My younger sibling is my brother Donovan. He is the only boy in an all-girl household, so, naturally, he gets more attention and eyes on him. Since my sister is the first child, she experienced things and went through different changes in life before my brother and I. After that, it became easier for me to do things on my own after seeing my sister do them. Essentially, since my mom was worried about what was next for my brother and sister, it became clearer to her that I could do things on my own. 

Another thing that comes along with being a middle child is being the mediator in situations. Growing up, my siblings and I have done a lot of bickering. For that reason, I have always hated conflict. It is not that we were ever fighting about anything serious. It happened so much that I got sick of it. Fortunately, it is easier for me to see both sides of a situation. Whenever I have two friends who are in an argument or disagreement, I usually try to step in and help the situation. This then began to apply to my house. It does not always work but when it does I feel instant relief. It became my natural instinct to stop a fight or bickering before it got out of hand.

 I have a different personality compared to my siblings. They both have big personalities. The same study done by Healthline also says that the middle child’s personality gets dulled down by their siblings causing them to be quiet and even tempered. This applies to my family because I have turned out to be more of a quiet/shy person. Of course, I have picked up some of their traits throughout the years, but there are times when our personalities differ. For example, I am an emotional person. Even when I was younger, I would always get my feelings hurt; more easily hurt than my siblings. I do not take little things like that seriously anymore but it has made me more sensitive. Unlike me, my siblings are not emotional whatsoever. I can count on one hand how many times I have seen either one of my siblings cry. It is not a bad thing that they are not emotional, but it shows how the order we were born in caused us to be different. 

In all honesty, being the middle child is something that I find very enjoyable. This way I am able to be the oldest among the youngest. The older sister part of me comes into play during arguments, while the younger sister part comes in more when I take things more personal or get upset over something. Being in the middle of my siblings is one of my favorite things about my family. It has made me into the person I am today and it has taught me a lot of things, not just about myself, but about life in general. So yes, even if sometimes I feel overlooked by my mom, and even my siblings, I know that they do not mean it in a negative way.