Parents, do you know what Sunday, August 12th is? It is “Middle Child’s Day.” This is your chance to give special recognition and attention to the one who usually feels the most left out.
Most of us are familiar with middle child syndrome. The oldest child tends to get more attention because they are the first to do things, while the youngest child also gets a lot of attention just because they are cute.
Although I have three children, my middle child doesn’t seem to suffer from this syndrome. But I believe it’s because her older and younger siblings are boys. Since she is the only girl, she tends to have her own category.
I think the middle child syndrome especially hits families where the siblings are the same sex, but I could be wrong. I just don’t see it happening in my own family. In fact, my youngest would probably be the one to tell you he gets the least amount of attention.
When you parent more than one child, you definitely face some unique challenges when it comes to giving equal attention. Actually, I have come to realize and accept that it is virtually impossible to do this.
There are times and seasons in life in which particular children require more attention. Like the year my youngest son was in 3rd grade and he had major surgery. For several months he was the one mostly focused on.
This past year it has been my oldest son (who graduated high school and left for the Air Force) and my daughter (whose reasons for being the center of attention shall not be mentioned), who were focused on the most. So now we are trying to put more attention back onto our youngest son.
It can really be tricky as a parent. And although I try to not ever leave someone out, sometimes the nature of life causes it to happen. It doesn’t mean I don’t pay any attention to a particular child, it just means they may not have as much as another one.
Whether you are dealing with middle child syndrome or any other unique circumstances in which a child has been feeling left out, it is important as a parent to recognize it. You may be in a position at this moment where you really can’t do anything about it. But that doesn’t mean you can’t do your best to still make the other child feel special.
And if a child has been feeling left out for no good reason, take the time to change that. Sometimes as parents we just haven’t been able to recognize the reality of a situation like this.
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