Is middle child syndrome real?

Question

Hi everyone I have a question for you all. Is middle child syndrome real? Is there a difference if the middle child is a female or male? If you are a middle child or have 3 children can you please share your experience. I'm interested because my husband and I have been discussing if we would stay at 3 children or go for 4. My older 2 are close in age but my 3rd has a larger age gap.. So we are talking about the 4th being closer to the 3rd. My 3rd is 9m so we are speaking for the future like a 2 year gap. Lets talk freely with no judgment please. I really appreciate those who share their stories ❤.

Answer

Growing up as a middle child, i hated it. Ive noticed in middle children, theyre the "peace makers', the forgotten child. I would love to have 4 kids because i dont want any of my children to feel left out like i did.

Answer

I’m the oldest of three. My brother (middle) was the golden child. He could pretty much say and do what he wanted. My sister was the baby and just got babied. I was constantly in trouble and having to take care of my brother and sister. I don’t think there is a middle child syndrome. I think it’s all in the parenting.

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Just yesterday my husband claimed he had middle child syndrome. Never thought it was a thing before though.

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I like being the middle child

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My husband and I are both middle children. My mom was more strict with me than my sisters. I was punished for things they would get away with. My husband was a quiet, reserved kid and his brothers definitely needed more attention.
I believe that every child needs to be handled and loved differently. Just as people have love languages in a relationship, there are love languages for children as well.
I wouldn't make a decision to have another child based off a fear of your middle child feeling excluded.

Answer

So my dad has 6 kids. In batches. I'm 30, my brother is 29, our sister is 19. Our other sister (half sibling) is 6. Our other brother (step sibling) is 4. And our newest little sister (half sibling) just turned 1. So for a really long time my oldest brother was the middle child. Into a adulthood he was the middle child. Our 4th sibling was born when he was 23. He was definitely never ignored or neglected. I was the troublemaker, he was the straight A, straight and narrow child. I was constantly being told I needed to be more like him. Which made me rebel ever more because I'm my own person. Hated being compared to him. But no. Hes always been loved and celebrated just as much as the rest of us. I'm pretty sure he's my ma's favorite kid out of her 3. I mean they try to keep it fair and even across the board, but you can just tell, you know. Not that that bothers me because they still treat us fair and equal. They just have a better relationship than me and ma. Like me and dad have a better relationship that dad and my brother. I'm so much more like my dad, personality wise and we get on a lot better than me and ma. Anyways. I'm rambling now and probs not making a ton of sense. Just treat your kids as equals and not as competitors. It's not and shouldn't be a competition for your love and attention.

Answer

I'm sort of the middle child.. See I have an older half sister and a younger brother (I'm not counting my step sister because I barely saw her and she never really felt like a sister)
I do feel like I was treated less than my brother, but I looked up to my sister a lot. She has always been what I wanted to grow up to.
When it comes to my brother.. He was allowed to hit me and he totally not only got away with it, he hit me and always twisted it in a way that my mom punished me on top of it.
Apart from how I was treated within our family, I have always been a people pleaser.

Is middle child syndrome real?

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