In families across the borders, a sort of tradition prevails. The eldest child becomes the leader of the family, and the youngest one is babied through life. A person who has to be both for themselves, who has to grow into their own self independently, is the middle child. While it can have a lot of positive effects on their life, it can also give rise to a variety of self-worth and mental issues that they end up dealing with for their entire lives.
Thus, a national day celebrating the middle child is not only appreciated but needed. On August 12, National Middle Child Day is celebrated annually. In 2025, the day will be on Tuesday, honouring the child in between, the often-overlooked sibling.
National Middle Child Day: History

National Middle Children's Day was created by a woman named Elizabeth Walker in the 1980s. In a newspaper article submitted by her grandson, Litton Walker III, she stated that she wanted to create a National Day to honour those children "born in the middle of families" who she felt were "left out." While the first celebrations of the day took place on the second Saturday of August, over time, it has generally come to be celebrated on August 12th. Additionally, the name of the day has also been changed to National Middle Child Day over the years.
National Middle Child Day: Significance
Many state that birth order plays a significant role in a person's personality. While the firstborn learns to lead, the lastborn learns to rely, and the one in the middle remains undefined. It also contributes to the Big Five personality traits: extroversion, neuroticism, agreeableness, conscientiousness and openness to experience. Research conducted by Canadian researchers Michael Ashton from Brock University and Kibeom Lee from the University of Calgary revealed that middle children are more agreeable, honest, avoid manipulation, have less interest in wealth or luxury, and don't feel entitled to elevated social status, when compared to their elder and younger siblings.
Thus, the day serves as a reminder to shower love and value upon the middle children and engage with them in life just like parents do with their elder or younger child.
National Middle Child Day: Popular middle children

A personality study claimed that middle children tend to be more artistic and creative. And did you know that some of the most artistic and innovative people in the world, who are still remembered for their contributions, were middle children?
In the past, Abraham Lincoln, Warren Buffett, Prince Diana, David Letterman, Martin Luther King Jr., John F. Kennedy, Charles Darwin and more were all middle children who came out on top as some of the most impactful people of their time.
Present day, famous faces like Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, Mark Zuckerberg, Anne Hathaway, Chris Hemsworth, Miley Cyrus and more are middle children carving their names into forever.
National Middle Child Day: How to celebrate?
Well, the easiest way to celebrate National Middle Child Day is to make your middle children/child feel special and loved, a bit extra today. Make their favourite meal, take them on a parent-child date, gift them a card or a fun memory, play their favourite games with them and do anything that will make the smile on their face a little brighter today.