As the ‘syndrome’ would have us believe, middle children are unambitious, lack social skills and feel neglected.

Typically, firstborns are overachievers, the youngest child is most looked-after as the baby of the family, and where does that leave the middle child? Nowhere, that’s where.

“In short, [middle child syndrome] is where the older child gets all the awards, the younger gets all the love, and the middle gets nothing,” according to Urban Dictionary.

Middle children are unloved, permanently question their identity, misbehave to get attention and are just crying out to be noticed and appreciated by their parents.

Hi, I’m Rachel, and I’m a middle child.

A lifetime of neglection (am I being melodramatic?) can have negative consequences on a forgotten child, but despite my lamentations, I actually believe being a middle child has made me stronger and generally more prepared for life.

“Although middles are neglected, both by parents and researchers, they actually benefit from this in the long run,” says psychologist Lynne Griffin, who claims middle children are more empathetic, think outside the box and feel less pressure to conform.

Being a middle child has made me independent, having never felt like I could depend on my neglectful parents. OK, that’s not true. I can depend on my parents, but still. I'm independent.

Understandably, the first time a parent goes through a rite of passage with one of their children, it’s a big deal, and the last time too. No one cares about the middle kids though.

Naturally, everyone was very excited when my brother graduated from university, but when I told my parents my degree results, they said: “Well you were always going to get a 2:1,” and were severely lacking in enthusiasm for my graduation.

Oh brother! Siblings who share the limelight Show all 10 1 /10 Oh brother! Siblings who share the limelight Oh brother! Siblings who share the limelight David (L) and Ed Miliband (R) Getty Oh brother! Siblings who share the limelight David and Jonathan Dimbleby (sons of Richard) Sons of legendary Word War II correspondent Richard Dimbleby, the brothers, both political journalists and television presenters, are constantly battling to be the nation’s most esteemed broadcaster. While David presents Question Time on the BBC, his younger brother presents Radio 4's Any Questions. They covered the election for rival channels; David on the BBC and Jonathan on ITV. During the BBC’s coverage of the1997 general election, while Jonathan made his debut as ITN's election night host, David famously said: "My instinct will be what it always is, to smash ITV into the ground and grind them under my heel." Getty Oh brother! Siblings who share the limelight Christopher and Peter Hitchens Both journalists, Peter went to the University of York where he studied politics while older brother Christopher went to Oxford. Peter believes in God while his brother is an atheist. The pair had a falling out when Peter wrote in The Spectator that Christopher had once joked that 'he didn't care if the Red Army watered its horses in Hendon'. Christopher denied this and cut off contact. It was not until the birth of his nephew that they put their differences aside. In 2007 they both appeared as panellists on Question Time where they sparred over the invasion of Afghanistan and the existence of God. After the show Peter said he would avoid such debates with his brother in future. Peter has said 'There was nothing, however, peaceful about my relationship with Christopher. Some brothers get on; some do not. We were the sort that just didn't.' Getty Oh brother! Siblings who share the limelight <b>Kray twins Reginald and Ronald</b> <p> Not just brothers but twins, the infamous gangsters Ronnie and Reggie wreaked havoc on London committing a series of violent murders and assaults. Even as children they were tearaways: Ronnie nearly died from a head injury sustained during a fight with his brother when they were only 11.</p> <p>Ronnie, born 10 minutes before his brother, ended up serving 28 years in prison before dying of a heart attack. Reggie was released after 32 years and died of cancer shortly after. Their lives were immortalised in the 1990 film <em>The Krays</em> which starred the brothers Gary and Martin Kemp from Spandau as the deadly pair.</p> Getty Oh brother! Siblings who share the limelight Ben and Casey Affleck Being the older brother, Ben has had a higher media profile which has included his well-publicised relationship with Jennifer Lopez. However, in recent years Casey has emerged as a contender to become the better-know Affleck brother. This year he starred in Michael Winterbottom’s controversial film The Killer Inside Me. But Casey didn’t win the Best Supporting Actor Oscar he was nominated for in 2007, whereas Ben had won one for Good Will Hunting a decade earlier. But Casey has been making headlines lately for I’m Still Here, a mock-documentary showing Joaquin Phoenix’s decline into drugs and mental health problems. Getty Oh brother! Siblings who share the limelight Paul (50), Stephen (55), Mark (49) and Joseph McGann (52) Despite all being actors, Paul best know, having starred in cult comedy Withnail and I. Despite losing the role of Doctor Who to his older brother, Mark was the first person in his family to become a professional actor. Eldest brother Stephen has portrayed classical composer Johann Strauss and was a regular on soap Emmerdale as Sean Reynolds between1999-2002. While Joseph’s made a turn as Charlie Burrows on comedy The Upper Hand. All four starred in the BBC drama ‘The Hanging Gale’ in 1995. BBC Oh brother! Siblings who share the limelight Liam and Noel Gallagher The Mancunian brothers behind Oasis are just famed for their music as their turbulent relationship. Even as children, younger brother Liam used to antagonise his older brothers Paul but particularly Noel. While Noel started playing the guitar from the age of 13, he says Liam only showed an interest in music in his late teens. Since the early years of Oasis the pair had numerous quarrels and things have not changed when Noel left the band in 2009 saying that he 'simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer'. Getty Oh brother! Siblings who share the limelight Alec (52), Daniel (49), Stephen (44) and William Baldwin (47) In this band of actor brothers, Alec is the eldest brother and has been the most successful. He was nominated for an Academy Award as best supporting actor in 2003's The Cooler. He has also won many accolades for his role in NBC sitcom 30 Rockwhich co-stars Tina Fey. The youngest of the Baldwin brothers, Stephen is a born-again Christian who makes his rounds on the reality television circuit. His most notable role was in The Usual Suspects. Second-eldest Daniel has had some success on the small screen with his roles on Homicide: Life on the Street and Cold Case. He appeared with his younger brother Stephen on I’m a Celebrity…Get Me out of Here! Similarly, William has enjoyed success in television roles from Dirty, Sexy Money and Gossip Girl. Getty Oh brother! Siblings who share the limelight Sirs David and Frederick Barclay Businessmen twins, the Barclays are the owners of the Daily Telegraph and Littlewood. They reclusive brothers have featured on The Sunday Times Rich List with an estimated fortune of £1.8 billion. Although little is known about them, Sir David’s son Aidan is chairman of the Ritz and is increasingly taking on more responsibilities from his father. Getty Oh brother! Siblings who share the limelight John and Patrick McEnroe John is former tennis world no. 1, winning seven Grand Slam titles including three at Wimbledon, known for his colourful courtside confrontational behaviour and the catchphrase 'You cannot be serious!' While Patrick or 'P-Mac', who is seven years younger has won the men's doubles at the French Open in 1989 and served as captain of the U.S. men's tennis team at the 2004 Olympics. Getty

What’s a middle child got to do to make her parents proud!?

Sorry, 24 years of built-up emotion are coming out.

Those years of hardship have given me an array of essential life skills though.

We middle children don’t need to be micro-managed - just leave us be and we’ll get on with it. We’ll probably do an awesome job of it too because we work really hard.

Yes, because middle children generally do have to do more to get noticed, we are driven, ambitious fighters, always striving to be better and achieve more.

What’s more, we’re outgoing, having realised early on that we need to be vocal in order to be noticed. And anyone who knows me will confirm that I am nothing if not outgoing and vocal.

But these skills have helped me be bold in many aspects of my life.

A lot of middle children learn to be excellent negotiators.

Whether consciously or not, parents often favour the oldest and youngest children, so we middle children have had to come up with other ways to get what we want and make our voices heard.

According to Dr Griffin, middle children are “more willing to compromise and so they can argue successfully.” So bear that in mind next time you try and pick a fight with one of us.

As a middle child, it’s actually in my nature to avoid conflict though - most middles try not to rock the boat because in sibling trios, it’s all too common for the oldest and youngest to team up against the middle one. (Woe is us!)

But this means we get on well with everyone. We’re great at a party, we middle kids. Go on, invite us. You’ll see.

And d’you know what, Mum and Dad, when I’m Queen of the World, you’ll see too. (Joking. Love you, parents. Please don't stop taking me out for lunches)