Middle Child Quotes

“Just once, I would like there to be something special about being the kid stuck in the middle.”
― Karen Tayleur, Love Notes from Vinegar House

“Lacking older siblings, the oldest or only child identifies primarily with her parents, conforming to their ideals and demands, not the least reason being that she no one with whom to share those demands. Since firstborns try to live up to the expectations of adults- teachers' as well as parents'- rather than that of peers, they are likely to learn more and to bring home better report cards than younger siblings. Thus firstborns pave the way for younger siblings, setting the standards against which they are measured and measure themselves.

Middle children tend to be more gregarious and more dependent on the approval of peers than that of adults. For one thing they have the example of the older sibling- who has the credibility of generational sameness- to guide them in their decisions and to teach them the rules of the family road. An older sister who was grounded for a month for coming home late from a date, for instance, is a lesson not lost on her younger sister or brother.

At the same time younger children are buffered by birth order from their parents' sole concentration. Hence they are treated with more indulgence and are called upon less to take on responsibilities.”
― Victoria Secunda, Women and Their Fathers: The Sexual and Romantic Impact of the First Man in Your Life

“All my life I’ve lived a beautiful lie. The governor’s son with the bright future set for him. The middle child. The one who no one knew how bad he was suffering until it made the nightly news.”
― Magan Vernon, The Only Way

“I swallowed hard, eyes on the ridge ahead. "Funny thing about control," I said, voice small. "I've spent my whole life being the one who had it, because someone had to. Tom burns too hot. Ennis fights too hard. That left me - the middle one, the steady one. I don't shout, I don't cry, I don't let it break me. Somebody's got to be the smart one when everything else goes to hell.”
― Calla Tate, The Devil's Daughters