Way back in 2013, I first raised concerns about Middle Child extinction in a post titled
“Are Middle Children an Endangered Species?” Sure enough, five years later, my worst fears were confirmed as talk of the impending demise of the Middle Child went viral. New York Magazine published a piece called “The Extinction of the Middle Child.” I wrote about it for a second time on this blog in a post titled “Our Middle Child Days are Numbered.” I also addressed this new threat in my first (and only) International Middle Child Union “State of the Union Address.” I even talked about the crisis on the Today Show. Things were not looking up.
But then, a glimmer of hope? A report from Pew research suggested maybe a comeback was on the horizon. To paraphrase Mark Twain, it appeared as though reports of our demise had been greatly exaggerated.
Whew! Oh happy day!! That was a close one. We live to fight another… oh crap.
Just when I thought we were out of the woods, it appears our reprieve has been -- revoked.
A recent CNN headline screams:
“GLOBAL FERTILITY RATES TO PLUNGE IN DECADES AHEAD, NEW REPORT SAYS.”
And the prognosis is dire. According to the study, the average number of children born to a woman in her lifetime has gone from 4.84 in 1950 to 2.23 in 2021. By 2100, it’s predicted to drop to 1.59! That’s well below the minimum needed to preserve our ranks. We’re a dying breed, my friends.
Look, I hate to be the Middle Child who cried wolf, but honestly --how many times in a lifetime should we have to face the threat of extinction?
Not that anybody cares.
I guess we’ve finally found the cure for Middle Child Syndrome.
Enjoyed this post? Never miss out on future posts -- click here to follow the blog.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Middle Children need to be heard!