Middle Child Day is an unofficial holiday that falls annually on August 12^th and celebrates a member of the family who faces special challenges: the middle child. The middle child isn’t considered the leader like the older child and isn’t the baby like the younger child, so what exactly is his or her place? Some people would say that it’s to deal with Middle Child Syndrome.

Middle Child Syndrome

What is Middle Child Syndrome? Well, it’s the feeling of exclusion that some middle children experience. This happens because there are usually some discrepancies between how the older sibling and the younger sibling are treated in relation to the middle child.

For instance, the older child is often considered the leader and is usually given more responsibilities as well as privileges. The youngest child is usually considered to be the baby and is treated as such. This leaves the middle child feeling like they don’t have a place.

They are no longer the baby of the family and, as such, may feel like they don’t have a niche in the family. One thing that needs to be understood about Middle Child Syndrome, however, is that it is not actually a clinical disorder but is only used to explain the behavior of a child.

History of Middle Child Syndrome

This holiday was created during the 1980s by Elizabeth Walker. When she created Middle Children’s Day, she initially intended the holiday to be observed on the second Saturday of the month of August. However, it was gradually accepted to celebrate this holiday on August 12th.

The name of the holiday also changed from National Middle Children’s Day to Middle Child Day. She created the holiday because she wanted a day to honor middle children because they were often the ones who felt left out of things.

The Personality of the Middle Child

Many people believe that the birth order of children will determine their personality. According to this theory, firstborn children are saddled with the most privileges and responsibilities and therefore assume a leadership role, and younger children often feel like they aren’t taken seriously and are always “too young.”

This often results in the middle child taking on a personality of their own. How the personality of the middle child forms, however, is often more fluid than the other two types. They usually assume a role that is in complete opposition to the older child. For instance, if the older child follows the rules and is a parent-pleaser, then the middle child will often assume the role of the rebel.

Famous Middle Children

Being the middle child isn’t all that bad. In fact, throughout history, there have been a number of successful middle children. Some of these include Abraham Lincoln, Warren Buffett, Herbert Hoover, Jennifer Lopez, Anne Hathaway, David Letterman, Judd Apatow, Britney Spears, and Bill Gates.

Celebrating Middle Child Day

How you celebrate this holiday depends on whether you are a middle child, are the parent of one, or if you simply know a middle child. If you are one, then feel free to take the day just for yourself. Make it a day in which you show yourself some love and appreciation. Make it a “me” day.

However, if you are a parent of a middle child, then you might want to take the time and spend the day with your middle child—just him or her without their other siblings. Feel free to take the day and lavish them with as much attention as you can. I’m sure they’ll appreciate it.