Hi, my name is Shannon. I’m a girl (DUH!) I am 13 years old and I am the middle child out of 5 girls. My parents want me to be like my older sisters, nice and perfect. My 3 younger sisters constantly get on my nerves and get me in trouble on purpose because they know I have a short-temper and my parents believe them over me.
My Mom and Dad went shopping one day and bought my older sisters new laptops and a mini fridge for their section of the basement and they got my little sisters each a Disney themed bouncy ball and didn’t get me anything at all. No joke! I always feel left out. Like no one likes me. My friends use me and pick on me because my parents home-school me (No, my Mom and Dad DON’T help me with my school work, I have to do everything for myself) and won’t let me have a phone when my NOT too much older sisters have phones. I’m teased and neglected and I have a few issues that I need to vent about, but my parents won’t get me to a counselor.
I know my parents love me, but they don’t show it very well. I have to do more chores than my sisters because they are too lazy and my 10 year old little sister is apparently too young. I was not allowed to wear makeup until I was 13, but my younger sister can. I can’t go on certain websites, yet my little and older sisters can! I can’t go see something PG, but guess what? MY FUCKING LITTLE BITCHY SISTERS CAN! I’m sorry! I just can’t stand it anymore. I’ve often thought of suicide, but I’m afraid. I even feel like God’s given up on me. I guess I’m an ugly, always-in-trouble girl. 
Please give me SOME advice!
- Shannon
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
i am a middle child too but i live happily..no prob…
I feel exactly like you but don’t do suicide please! Instead take all those frustrations and put them in your education. By this I mean excel far beyond your sisters dreams! By doing this I just got accepted into MIT and I feel like my life has some worth if that great a college wants me. You can do the same if not better than me! I look forward to seeing you as congressman Shannon or dr. Shannon. Chase your dreams and don’t let your parents hold you back!
Hi Shannon,
My name is Dhuha and I am 23 years old. I am the middle child too I have an older sister and a younger sister . I understand your feeling of neglect and unfairness because i have been in your situation too, but guess what your life is giong to be better and better. And believe me YOU WILL BE THE STRONGEST of your sisters, because the older ones will try to satisfy your parents for the rest of their lives, and your younger sisters will depend on someone for the rest of their lives, while you will be the dependent one, the strong one and definetly the UNIQUE ONE. The only thing you need is to look after yourself! One day I just decided to look after myself and takecare of myself , and since then i’m leading a happy life. I finished my colledge and obtained B.A degree now i’m working and i feel really strong .
Looking back at my life I remember my own thoughts of suicide to get ride of my misrable life , but one day I thought that i am too precious to just end my life. And you dear Shannon are too precious to lose you.
Love always
Dhuha
You have to believe in yourself. You have to have some faith. Ask your parents and if they scold you like you can buy stuff your self then say that “Why did you buy for my big sister?” Ask your elder sister to share the items with you. Save some money to buy new stuff for yourself. It may take a long time but saving money is a useful habit in life. You wouldn’t lean on anyones shoulder but yourself. I know it’s hard but I think you need to calm down. Try participating something in school so that you wouldn’t always be with your annoying little sisters. If you are ever angry then count 1 till 100. Soon you wouldn’t be scolded for losing your temper. Try your best to ignore them. Remember this, find your own happiness. Waiting for being praise is a total waste of your time but if you still do want to be praise, be praise by someone you know who will surely praise you.
Hi. Everyone.
I am also a middle child, second oldest of 5 girls. I was treated very badly when I was a child, I am now 42.
I had a lot of therapy because of the abusive treatment I got as a child then in my early adult relationships with boyfriends.
During my childhood, I had the characteristics of the middle-child syndrome but also ALL of the duties of the oldest but with no love and approval. Resulting in me having been a codependent with addictive personality traits. I became a workaholic and love addict.
I have now come to the conclusion that I have become a lot stronger and than the rest of my sisters. I have resolved all the hurt and pain of my childhood and early adult years.
As a child I was always compared to my other sisters and was constanly told that I am no good, not smart enough, not sociable enough and useless etc. Given hand-me-downs, told to be accountable to my older sister’s mistakes, told off a lot, had to be perfect to get noticed (but didn’t). I was also told to be in control of myself and was forced to look after my oldest sister – who was childish, agressive and rebellious. I became a control freak later in adulthood becasue of this behaviour.
I looked after my late father, now looking after my 75 year old mother, when my other sisters are either married with kids, happy and care-free, going out, living out their dreams etc.
I am now single, in my early forties, with no job, no husband/boyfriend, no money to go out or shop for good things etc. I had a lot of time on my hands to think, heal, become wiser etc. but I now feel freer, somehow contented even without company, or emotional support. I have learnt to be my own person, re-parent myself, love myself and be kinder to myself. Importantly, undo the emotional damage of my childhood.
I really do believe if nobody loves you, no matter what, you must love yourself. It’s hard because I have had no healthy role models, but it gets easier. Pain is a great teacher. I know that God loves me and no matter how alone I feel, he is there to for me.
Being a middle child has all its problems, added to this the abusive experiences make it ten times worse. But there is hope. Hope kept me alive because for years and years I felt very suicidal. The only thing that kept me going was hope.
Love and peace
Anita
aww. poor liltle thing. let me give it to you from a last born point of view. being a middle child is not easy i know because of the way my dad treated my brother who is the middle child. am the last born in my family and it its not as easy and very nice as poeple think. my brother and i didnt get along much. i felt that distance even though we lived together. as time went on, i felt sorry for him and deciede to get closer to him. we became so close that it made my dad treat him better. your parents dont pay much attention to you because they know youl be fine. they expect you to follow in the footsteps of your older siblings. iv seen this happing in many families and the solution to your problem lies in the hands of the younger siblings. try this. try to love to the fullest and make them feel like they are the ish. then youl see how it goes.
hi, shannon. i am also a middle child, but i only have a older brother and a younger sister. (im a girl). i feel the excact same way that you are feeling. i also haver thought of suicide, but i dont do it. i dont know if i could give you advise, but let me tell you, i hope it gets better for the both of us. =(
Hi Shannon. I am also a middle child of 5 with 2 older sisters and 2 younger sibilings. I am 20 yrs old and all I can tell you is that it gets easier. The treatment doesnt neccesarily go away but it gets better. You have to stop looking towards your parents for praise and look within yourself. Everything you do to better your life, be selfish about it! Thats what you have to do and thats how youve gotta be. I joined so many clubs, got a job, played a sport and won queen just so I could get some kinda praise but it never happened. Just today I realized that my life is my life….your life is your life and you should live it for you and no one else honey. Go ahead and say F the world to relieve the stress that has been building up inside of you but then, continue to strive in what you are good at w/o being bitter b/c thats only hurts you and not the one youre mad at. Hope I helped. Oh yeah! Go buy yourself a ball and play with it:) I promise it will make you feel better