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nocturnalowl
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08 Jun 2005, 3:57 am

I am a middle-child aspie myself. And as some of you probably know, it sucks to be a middle child. Not all the time, but it isn't always the best.

Do any middle-child aspies here get upset about...

1. Being known as 'whosits'?
2. Getting lack of attention from family friends, acquaintances and relatives?
3. Being ignored because of the fact that...
a. The older one is acheiving something first that gets the family attention? Many times the oldest is the first to graduate, drive, join a club, sport, etc.

b. The youngest needs attention as is probably more rebellious then you and your oldest sibling?

4. People don't remeber your accomplishments and acheivments as much as they know your eldest and youngest siblings?


5. Getting less gifts, money, and kudos as a child?

6. Getting yelled at the most and told to cut it out?


For some reason we probably end up as the smarter ones and the more anti-social ones anyway. If the middle-child is ignored, they probably do something on their own and of course become the smart one...

....But then that is what I tend to be only known as a lot of times, the "smart one".

Since I am the middle one in a Boy-Boy-Girl order, I wonder if it worse for middle children who are in a BBG or GGB order, or even BGG and GBB order?

BBB, GGG, BGB, GBG. I wonder if Middle children are treated differently depending on the order status of birth.

Let's say the oldest is, in my case, a boy. Automatically as the eldest, he's the one the family relatives will look upon no doubt about it and of course, the possible leader of the family if anything happens in the future with the parents.
Then comes you, or me, at first labelled as the baby, the wild one and of course the youngster. Things are going well until..
The next child is born. You are now labeled the middle and the new baby is now the rebel, the baby, and the cutey one. But because the youngest is a girl, the relatives see a future matriarch, the eldest girl and a new backbone in the family.
So now you are labeled the "the other boy" in the family. So what happens next?

Must wait and see.

So who else is a middle child? Go ahead and put your sibling birth older with your position in bold.

For example, mine: BBG

Do any of you feel any wrath of "Middle-child syndrome?"



Postperson
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08 Jun 2005, 5:21 am

It's the gender order, not the birth order. I am the youngest in a GBG family, so since they already had a girl, I was superfluous, plus it means you have to share a room with the girl they already have, so she resents that. The middle child in our family was the only boy and so got his own room, and all the 'only boy' stuff.



PierceMarkT
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08 Jun 2005, 5:24 am

I am the youngest and I can personally say that it isn't all it's cracked up to be. I had the " why can't you be like your sister..." blues. Or the your brother messed up his.... just like you will..." blues. Blondes want to be brunettes. Whereas brunettes want to be blondes. Be content is the only advice I can give although it is a bitter pill to swallow.



Fiddler
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08 Jun 2005, 6:39 am

How does this theory work when you are a twin?
The first child in our family is my brother.
Then comes my sister.
And finally: my twin and I. I was born 10 minutes before her.



danlo
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08 Jun 2005, 7:36 am

I'm the middle child, also. GBGBBBB : 28,25,23,21,19,17,17.
All my siblings always thought I was being favored, and often had it out for me. As my mother explained it to me once, it was because I needed special clothing and didn't always have to endure hand-me-downs; and that my quirks were tolerated while my siblings' weren't.
The trouble this caused was often blamed on myself, and my mother started me seeing a psychologist. I played with the psych and got her to convince my mother to pay me to be good ($2 a fortnight), which wasn't hard since it never was my fault anyway. And this caused more jealousy, since noone got any pocket money, except me.
Ah well, they all have seemed to have grown out of their jealousy. It all vanished quite suddenly, all antagonistic behavior towards me, when my mother took them to see an Autism specialist psychologist from the Intitute just last year. I declined to be there with them, but I wonder what was said.



Therblig
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08 Jun 2005, 4:00 pm

I'm the youngest, but that's irrelevant for what I'm about to speak about.

One of the families related to me has 8 kids in the following order: BGBGGBBB (18, 18, 16, 15, 15, 10, 10, 3)

The twin girls in the middle are whom I will base my theory on.
My mother was also the older one of the two middle in her family of six kids. Based on her family as well as some of my cousins, I have come to the conclusion that when you have two kids who are in the middle one of them assumes the role as the typical middle child. Smarter, more withdrawn, and at times more artistic. This would be the one plagued with Middle-Child Syndrome. The other is typically the most outgoing person in the family. In the cousins mentioned above, the older twin (older by six minutes) is the biggest extrovert in the family and the younger twin is the most reserved. Also, in my mother's family she was the black sheep and then her slightly younger sister was the outgoing and wild one.

I don't know if this is true all around, but in all the families I've seen with two middles it sure is.



NoMore
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08 Jun 2005, 6:53 pm

I'm the oldest of three: GGB.
My Aspie dad was the oldest of two: BB.
My Aspie son is #4 of 5: GBGBB (22, 19, 14, 11, 7). I also think our oldest has some Aspie characteristics, but she adamantly insists she's NT. :wink:



nocturnalowl
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08 Jun 2005, 7:03 pm

I am 19 months younger and 19 months older in my family, that's a crazy coincidence.

Both of my parents were the oldest in their families, but in treated in different ways. My dad (BBBBGGGGBB) pretty much had to take care of the family most of the time without a choice while my mom (GBGG) was the one they one the relatives eyed on and too took care of the family when needed. I think she was the oldest granddaughter on my grandma's side. And in my words, being the oldest grandchild gives you even more props to make the middle-child even more withdrawn.

My maternal grandma was the middle girl in her family (GGGBGBBBG)but yet was made to be the caretaker and supporter some of the time.



nocturnalowl
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08 Jun 2005, 7:10 pm

Cindy wrote:
My Aspie son is #4 of 5: GBGBB (22, 19, 14, 11, 7). I also think our oldest has some Aspie characteristics, but she adamantly insists she's NT. :wink:


I think my pop has aspie traits also; he tends to be to himself at times easily, can filter out conversations around him and we have to probably, lol, use a bullhorn to get his attention. At least he admits to maybe having these traits or even having AS at all.



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08 Jun 2005, 9:59 pm

I'm the oldest on my Mom's side of the family. My only brother *sigh of relief* , is 10 and a handful. Being oldest means you're the first to get all the lectures from family (extended and immediate). It's like I'm a test run. Ug... my grandparents lecture like theres no tommorrow. My grandmother lectures every time she calls. My little brother has yet to experience any lectures.


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nocturnalowl
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09 Jun 2005, 1:26 am

Sarcastic_Name wrote:
I'm the oldest on my Mom's side of the family. My only brother *sigh of relief* , is 10 and a handful. Being oldest means you're the first to get all the lectures from family (extended and immediate). It's like I'm a test run. Ug... my grandparents lecture like theres no tommorrow. My grandmother lectures every time she calls. My little brother has yet to experience any lectures.


I'm number 2 on my Mom's side and lucky number 3 on my Dad's side while my brother is #1 on both sides. And my sister is the oldest granddaughter on both sides. It does help when both your parents are the oldest in their families but it doesn't mean anything.

When we visit extended family, I am usually to myself pacing around while both my siblings get the most attention. I do get attention though, not as much as they do and not from as many people.

At least I can say that I am not alienated at all. I just don't like to connect as much.



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09 Jun 2005, 8:55 am

I was never a middle child.

I have a step brother whom I've never met from my mom's previous marriage who was born in 1966. When my mom got divorced from her first marriage, he went to live with his grandparents. From what I understand he went into the military and now drives semis for a living.

I was born in 1979, and I was more a less a suprise. My parents were never able to give another sibling, so I was spared the sibling rivalry, but had I had a sibling who was NT, my problems I had as a kid might have stood out in bold relief compared to those of my phantom NT sibling and I might not have had to wait as long as I had to discover the truth about myself.


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