Let’s be real here; because he never gets any attention…
I am actually writing this piece out of a little bit of guilt and feel like I should leave something for my son to read in the future for him to know how much we love him and his unique personality. Being the middle child is not easy and in our case, it seems like the “birth order” phenomenon really plays out with my three boys. I looked up a few articles on birth order and even the middle child in those articles was listed last and had much less written about them than the oldest and youngest. Oy vey. At least it’s not just me!
Ok, so without further ado…meet my middle child Dylan.
{Dylan is only 17 months younger than his oldest brother and 3 years older than his younger brother.}
I guess I’d be a little salty all the time if I never got attention while competing with my brothers for the spotlight too. The older brother is taking our attention with all the new things he’s getting into or about to do. The little brother still needs that extra care like the youngest usually does. He never gets anything new, except for baseball equipment. He is the only baseball player so far in the house. And he has a really good arm for being as light as a feather! He starts all the fights usually and is constantly picking on his little brother. Having three boys, my house is very noisy. But what I ALWAYS hear is “Stop it Dylan” from all sides of the arena.
He intentionally does not listen. I even went to the extreme to have his hearing and blood tested (anemia test) to make sure there wasn’t something we were missing with his health with the lethargy of listening. At the end of the appointments and everything was decent… the doctor said, “I think it’s just him.” I guess she was right because shortly after I called his name 10 times, no answer. Then for the heck of it, I whispered “ice cream.” That kid whipped his head around so fast and asked where the ice cream was. Uff Dah child!
Our middle child sure takes us on a parenting rollercoaster. Because he actually is also my sweetest child. He is the only one that will still give me a kiss. He is cuddly, sensitive and thoughtful. He makes me cards that say “I love you Mom.” He draws pictures that he leaves on my pillow at night so I see them when I get home from work. He is also my only child who will give his birthday money to others for their birthday, so he is very giving and kind. He always has something to say; out of all my boys, he talked very early. That is a very good skill to have as when you are in the middle, you need those negotiation skills. I can’t help but not stay mad at him long at all because of how sweet he is.
So my dear middle child, when you read this:
You grew up being the middle brother. Someone had to do it and you were placed in the middle for a reason. You have a strong-willed, wild, but also thoughtful personality that will work in your favor. If you ever thought that we didn’t give you enough attention, know that we tried our best with all your brothers. You might find that out one day with your own children and know that we as parents struggle with guilt about knowing if we are doing anything right. Just know that you are right just the way you are. Your unique personality and mindset fit the person you were born to be. Remember the middle of the sandwich always has the most flavor and color. You are the peanut butter and jelly while your brothers are just plain, stale bread…. just kidding. But you get the picture. We love you buddy!
-Mom and Dad
