When a middle child - typically of a family of three kids who are close in age - feels left out or neglected.
Because the bigger sibling is the first born and typically an over-achiever, they are the most important and get the most privileges. A younger sibling is the 'baby' of a family and gets away with more as well as being the most looked-after. Middle-child syndrome starts when the middle child is squeezed between these two and have trouble finding their 'niche' in the family.
Middle children will sometimes...
- misbehave to get attention
- go with the flow
- work as little as possible
- be less parent-dependent than their siblings
- become the 'loner' of the family, not participate in family events unless told to
- play the peacemaker
- be more likely to go to a friend for advice than a parent
- be very creative
There must be a third child in my future somewhere, because this description above has Sam written all over it!
What feels like overnight, Sam has become this super-independent, head shaking (he may not speak much, but sure can tell you "no" without any confusion), schedule-defying, rule-breaking bundle of unbridled energy and mischief. And while it can be lots of fun (in really small doses), it's also incredibly exhausting!
This week has been particularly so: I have found him, fully clothed, in the shower at least three times; I have had to fish out toys, Tupperware, and for the first time Zac's (clean) school uniform from the toilet; In his fierce resistance to bed time, he has taken to jumping on the bed in the dark, and twice jumped onto Zac and right off the bed; And even though it's the middle of Winter here, the other day I found him stripped to his diaper and jumper, sitting playing in a muddy puddle...
Does anyone know where my sweet and serene little baby Sam disappeared to - and if so, can you please send him back?!
