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Middle Child Quotes

Browse 17 quotes about Middle Child.

Middle Child Quotes

“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.”

ParentingFamily DynamicsMiddle ChildFirst BornBirth OrderYoungest Sibling
Book:Women and Their Fathers: The Sexual and Romantic Impact of the First Man in Your Life
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“I grew up in a remarkable home, the middle of seven children. My parents raised us well. They loved us well. We laughed hard growing up. But being the middle child, I couldn't figure out where I fit in the home, whether I was the youngest of the older three or the oldest of the younger three. When you don't know where you fit inside the home and you're young and you're desperate to fit in somewhere, I'd figured where I would fit outside the home. So I made some bad decisions about who I hung out with, I dropped out of high school, got kicked out of the house.”

KnowsWellsChildrenMadeHardHomeSchoolYoungThreeHouseParentDecisionGrowing UpGrowingMiddleFiguresGrewFitGrew UpHigh SchoolRaisedSevenDesperateRemarkableLaughedHungBad DecisionMiddle Child
Author:Tullian Tchividjian
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“I came from a big family, with not enough attention. It's classic. I wasn't the baby, but was second to last. It's absolutely the same story that most people have in this [film] business, they're the middle children. I've encountered some people, and it's weird to me, that they were the youngest in their family. I don't understand how that works, they got the attention.”

PeopleChildrenEnoughStoriesBigsLastsFilmAttentionMiddleBabyClassicBig FamiliesMiddle Child
Author:Paul F. Tompkins
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