The Middle-Child Syndrome

I have always been interested in "what makes people tick". So, with all this vitriol and craziness going on in our country right now, I started wondering, How many of these people arguing and fighting about America are middle-kids, like me? Is Obama? What about Kucinich? Palin? I wondered because there are certain characteristics that go along with being a middle child. From my own personal experience (cough cough), I would say that these are right up there at the top:

1. Feeling alone and ignore. For example, big sister was always mom's favorite, while little brother was dad's. Yes, you guessed it, I was the proverbial "bad girl", the "trouble maker", the "rebel".

2. Hate being trapped in a box. Hate following rules. Once in a high school psychology class, the teacher gave us all a piece of paper, some crayons, and ten minutes to color. When the ten minutes was up, he said, "All of you who colored out-side the lines, put your hands up." Well, there were only two of us whose hands went up....the two middle kids!

3. Always cheer for the underdog...always. No matter what. Never take the side of "the establishment".

4. Very sensitive with the feelings. Easily hurt and real thin-skinned.

5. Creative. Have a need to express it. Maybe it's because no one ever listens. haha

This is what comes to mind immediately for me. But now, let's look at some "official" discriptions of the Middle Child Syndrome, shall we?

Well, not exactly "official"...told you I didn't like following rules :)This comes from the Urban Dictionary:

buy middle child syndrome mugs, tshirts and magnets When a middle child - typically of a family of three kids who are close in age - feels left out or neglected.

"Because the bigger sibling is the first born and typically an over-achiever, they are the most important and get the most privileges. A younger sibling is the 'baby' of a family and gets away with more as well as being the most looked-after. Middle-child syndrome starts when the middle child is squeezed between these two and have trouble finding their 'niche' in the family.

Middle children will sometimes...
-misbehave to get attention
-go with the flow
-work as little as possible
-be less parent-dependent then their siblings
-become the 'loner' of the family, not participate in family events unless told to.
-play the peacemaker
-be more likely to go to a friend for advice than a parent
-be very creative

In short its where the older child gets all the awards, the younger gets all the love, and the middle gets nothing.(A real-life example of what happened to my younger sis, who suffers from middle child syndrome)

Oldest: Hey I just turned 16!
Mom: Lets go pick you out a car!
Oldest: Yay!

-1 1/2 yrs later-

Middle: Hey I just turned 16!
Mom: Oh.. er.. well we're still paying for your sib's car, so you'll have to just borrow from her when you can..
Middle: >.>

-2 yrs later-

Youngest: Hey! I just turned 16!
Mom: Yay! And I just finished paying for the other car! Lets go get you a car!
Middle: Hey! I should be the next one to get a new car!
Youngest: but its MY birthday
middle: Thats stupid
youngest: MOMMY SHE JUST CALLED ME STUPID!!
mom: Be nice to your little sister on her birthday!! Come on, birthday-girl! Lets go get that car!
Youngest: WOO!"

Oh I can SO relate to that!

So, now let's see who some famous middle children are:

Famous middles: David Letterman, Richard Nixon, Madonna and Princess Diana.

Hmmmmm, what does that tell us? Funny, crooked, perverted and dead!

But this still hasn't answered my original question....Are any of these political players on the national stage middles? Let's see;

Professions: Middles tend to have excellent negotiating and people skills -- anything that employs these skills is a great fit. Middle children from the CareerBuilder.com survey said they work in nursing, law enforcement, firefighting and machine operation.

Not quite....but HERE we go:

"Did you know most presidents have been first borns while most politicians are middle children and the majority of successful sales people are the baby of the family?"

Melanie Dorsey
Speaker, Teacher, Writer

I KNEW it!! Most politicians are middle children....ahahaha. No wonder we can't get anything done!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ukstws19D4

The x-tra credit:

Can Birth Order Determine Your Career?Rachel Zupek, CareerBuilder.com writer