For decades, conventional wisdom has held that middle children — those born in between older and younger siblings — tend to have a hard time growing up.Typically, siblings born within five years of each other will be most affected, as they vie for parental attention.
Stuck in the middle: First and last-born children supposedly receive more parental attention than siblings born in the middle (Posed by models)
Pros:
Almighty-Willing
successful and
enjoy strong social lives and
flourishing careers.
attributes of empathy,
independence,
articulacy and
creativity.
Rising to the top: Billionaire Bill Gates had the disadvantage of being a middle child
remarkable ability to
think outside the box and
take moderate risks
communication skills,
a gift for friendship,
a powerful sense of justice,
coolness under pressure and
ability to negotiate.
attachment to fairness — is one of the most striking features of middle children — determined to confront injustice.
robustly independent — partly as a result of having to strive to find their own niche within the family structure.
infused with a freedom of spirit,
a desire to break with conformity — which is why they can be so successful in the creative arts — just look at the careers of the great actor Richard Burton or the writer Ernest Hemingway.
high degrees of patience—perhaps because they spend so much of their time in childhood waiting their turn.
the art of delayed gratification— one of the true measures of civilised behaviour.
compromise
Less egocentric
loyalty
ability to see other people’s point of view.
more successful at relationships.
often open-minded about sex and non-judgmental about others’ behavior.
politics,
mix of charisma,
eloquence
Beating the odds: U.S. Presidents Abraham Lincoln (left) and John F. Kennedy succeeded in the cutthroat world of politics
of all the U.S. Presidents Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy since 1787, no fewer than 52 per cent were middle children.
Polish campaigner against Soviet tyranny, Lech Walesa, and the architect of Egypt’s peace with Israel in the Seventies, Anwar Sadat, were all middles.
eldest sons are always the strongest personalities and therefore natural-born leaders.
Cons:
an eagerness to please — born out of their efforts in childhood to gain attention — which can mean they are too easily influenced by friends.
dislike confrontation and may shy away from frank discussions about serious problems in a relationship — a lack of honesty that can store up problems for the future.
middles are less attached to family hierarchies — because they may not have such warm memories of family life. They often attach more weight to friendships and to the opinions of their peers than those of their elders.
They tend to be less close to their parents and, in contrast to their siblings, are more likely to move away from the neighborhood where they grew up.
Agents of change: Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King are typical of middle children who are determined to confront injustice
Eager to please: Tony Blair is a middle child but George W. Bush is not. Did that fact play a part in their relationship?
there is no need for despondency or resentment among middle children. Their position, with its road to independence, has perhaps put them in the luckiest position of all.
