Parent Moments: Embracing the Middle Child

This is a very cute article and true!I am a middle child out of 5 children and I guess most people will say i am passive, while my older sister is strong willed and my siblings are either a soccer star or cute little girls!So I can see how the middle child may be overlooked because the ones who shine the most are the oldest or the youngest!But its funny because the middle ones are the ones who hold the family together even though they may not be noticed.For example, I once left to a vacation with friends and when I came back my parents told me how much I was missed and how the oldest needed someone to talk to and how the youngest siblings needed someone to play with and practice their soccer skills. Everyone in our family plays a role and it can be taken for granted because they are always there.But when the family is together and recognizes each other the moment is just full of thankfulness and magic!

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Although I have two daughters, no middle child, my youngest is often given what the older sister wore, played with, and so on. This was never really an issue until this past year, when she began complaining about always having to take her sister's things and never getting to choose on her own. Although I can't really budger on big ticket items like skis, I can give her the chance to pick her own accessories, like gloves, hats, socks - things that can get lost, ruined and that we can always use extras for! So, we focus on getting excited about those items and downplay the rest!

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each of us feels like 'the middle child' sometimes - that feeling of being overlooked can happen at any age and any time, regardless of birth order. gary's article is a great reminder to keep in touch with those around us who we love, and to keep shining the light of our attention on them, like a lighthouse on ships at sea.

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Hi, I am a working mother of 5. The first 15 years of marriage and family where fast and fun. Then our fourth son was diaginosed with cancer. Life truned upside down. But with Disney in our VCR and a trip to Disney World we made it thru. We are still the parents of 5 and now 3 grandchildren too. Thanks Disney for all your great entertainment. Alana Lawson

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as i was reading the story i realized something. the father loves his children

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In any family it is difficult for a parent or parents to equally give love and attention to all of their children equally and at the same time. Although we strive for that goal in our home, our plan is not always successful. It is true that the middle child is going where the oldest has been and has been where the youngest and last one is currently. This does leave the middle child at a disadvantage at times. But maintaining a perpetual reality check does remind us to remember that all 3 of our boys require love, attention and support. No one will tell you that this is an easy task, but there are not too many tasks that are these days. We look at it as a key criteria in the unwritten job description of parenting!!!

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What actually surprises me is that the 'middle child' was not considered in his first round of thought. Regardless of their birth order, he has three children not two.

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I also have a middle child, and while I think her dad (a middle child) and I (the older of two) have done a good job of treating all three children fairly, I am sorry to say that she is often overlooked by others, including other family members, teachers, and friends. The oldest is old enough to babysit and help out with adult work, while the youngest is still "so cute", but the middle one is just...in the middle. It hurts us to see her left out at times, and we don't know what to do about it.

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I love this story. My husband and I are both middle children. We love to share our tales of mild neglect and over compensation by worried and harried parents. HAHAHA!!!! We were both very good at using the poor middle child act. We had great drama teachers in our older siblings, whom we mimiced. And oblivious younger siblings that didn't know how good our position in the family really was.

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