Normally, we’ve heard that the “middle child” feels neglected and overlooked in light of his/her older and younger siblings. But it might be high time to change the way we look at sibling dynamics. According to a new book, The Secret Power of Middle Children by Catherine Salmon and Katrin Schumann, these ideas lend to the the truth that middle children actually teach themselves adaptive strategies…which will later benefit them in life in terms of relationships and careers.
Middle children benefit from more freedom than their older siblings, who often get more pressure from parents, allowing them to be “free to find out what they really are good at on their own time and in their own way, and then excel at that,” as well as allowing them to develop an independence and a tendency to think outside the box. Many middle children are leaders in business, politics, and other areas.
Take Presidents, for example. It’s a common misconception that most presidents are firstborns; here’s the actual statistic: ”52% of presidents are middle-borns.” Those middle-born presidents may have developed certain diplomatic skills because of their birth order: Firstborns “tend to get what they want … through physical force or … authority, while the youngest in the family “tend to whine,” leaving the middle kid with negotiation skills.
There you go middle children, your plight isn’t so bad after all.
