Thanks A Lot, Taylor Swift!

MIDDLE CHILD’S DAY 2025: The Day in Review

 

          Like it’s not already hard enough to garner some attention for Middle Child’s Day... Shortly after midnight, right at the start of our namesake day, Taylor Swift has to go on Instagram to share with the world the title of her new album. Typical firstborn behavior! They find out the Middle Child might be getting some attention and they have to steal the spotlight!! She couldn’t wait a day!? Or even LATER in the day?? Noooo, god forbid we should have the day to ourselves!

          It’s always an uphill battle trying to spread the word about Middle Child’s Day, but thanks to “Tay Tay,” the hill got even steeper. What an unfair fight: one of the biggest stars in the world versus… the International Middle Child Union. But we all know how David ended up on the winning side of his battle with Goliath, don’t we? Unsurprisingly, that DID NOT happen for the I.M.C.U. on Middle Child’s Day. But I think we’re making progress. Look at this:

 

 

(CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE)

 

The folks in Fulton County, NY, actually acknowledged Middle Child’s Day on their calendar page! Well, kind of. Upon closer examination we didn’t exactly make it on to the actual calendar, but it’s a start. They even seem to be accepting the fact there can be multiple Middle Children in a family. So are the people running the “Days of the Year” website:

 

           Maybe my message is getting out there?! Of course, it looks like we still have our work cut out for us when it comes to people knowing the actual date of Middle Child’s Day. I should probably reach out to “Holiday Insights” to set them straight: 

 

 

(Middle Child’s Day is August 12, BTW) But I did speak with radio stations coast to coast, from Boston to Houston to Seattle and many more, trying to raise awareness of Middle Child’s Day. A station in Milwaukee even played their own version of “Name That Middle Child,” with me as the contestant. (SPOILER ALERT: EVEN WHEN I WAS WRONG, I WAS RIGHT!) There was this re-post on the Today Show website about my efforts. And, oh yeah -- I’m now being sought out as an authority for my Middle Child advocacy! I’ve been quoted in the Press Release for author Lori Orlinsky’s new children’s book, “Being Middle:”

 

 

I’m sure lucrative Middle Child endorsement deals are just around the corner!

          In spite of “T-Swizzle” trying to rain on the parade we didn’t have, all in all it was NOT a horrible Middle Child’s Day. And when you’re a Middle Child, that’s a very good day. 

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Middle Child Extinction: The Gift That Keeps on Giving

          As if the emotional roller coaster of being a Middle Child wasn’t already enough of a wild ride, here we go again…

          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. 

 

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Surviving P.M.C.D.T.S.D.

          I could barely find the strength to write this post today. I am, like millions of other Middle Children, trying to recover from another psychologically bruising, emotionally draining Middle Child’s Day. Once again the day has taken its toll, leaving me to deal with the crushing aftermath: a severe case of Post Middle Child’s Day Traumatic Stress Disorder. Coupled with chronic Middle Child Syndrome, my post Middle Child’s Day malaise is palpable.
          You’d think after all these years I would know not to get my hopes up. But still, there’s that little voice in my head, deep in the middle of my brain, that says to me, “Maybe this year will be different. This year, people will actually... care.” Then, it’s August 12, and reality sinks in. The jokes:

          The insults:

          The self-loathing:

          And of course, the neglect:

          I search for answers, but only have myself to blame. I allowed myself to believe that my efforts to raise awareness for Middle Child’s Day were actually making a difference. After all, I was interviewed by the Today Show. HLN. Even some show in New Zealand. I was on the radio. I was in New York Magazine. “People are paying attention,” I foolishly believed. Surely I was making progress. My spirits were actually buoyed when I saw “Happy Middle Child’s Day” hashtags appearing with great frequency on our namesake day. But any hint of a wind was knocked out of my sails when I found out what was actually trending on Twitter: #WorldElephantDay. Really!? Even elephants get more attention than black sheep!?
          I had hit rock bottom. But why should I even care anymore? It’s been widely reported that Middle Children are going extinct, so why am I wasting my time? Maybe I should just call it a day and close up shop. Then, a headline pops up on my news feed:

“Reality Check: Are Middle Children Going Extinct?”

Wait, what? “Don’t believe them,” warns the middle voice in my head. Then, another headline:

“Middle Children Have Become Rarer, But A Growing Share Of Americans

Now Say Three Or More Kids Are Ideal.”

And just like that, the International Middle Children Union is back in business.

Yesterday on Today...

Check out my "appearance" on the Today Show discussing the potential demise of the Middle Child:

         

The Middle Child Conspiracy

     

     If you’re a Middle Child, you’ve long known there is a concentrated effort to keep us down. (If you’re not a Middle Child, you still know about it as you are probably part of the conspiracy!) Proof of this was evident again this morning on the Today Show. Psychiatrist and Today Show Contributor Dr. Gail Saltz was doing a piece about birth order. While talking about how wonderful first-borns were and what great leaders they make, she cited that over half of U.S. Presidents were first born. Well, I suppose that’s true –if you’re only counting first-born males!! When that statistic was figured, first-born females weren’t figured in as older siblings, according to Catherine Salmon and Katrin Schumann, co-authors of The Secret Power of Middle Children. The truth of the matter is 52 percent of U.S. Presidents were actually Middle Children!! Of course, we can argue whether or not that’s a good thing, but that’s not the point!! It’s just another example of how we always get the short end of the stick.