MIddle Children

10:00-WC: 2589. I'm tired and want to go to bed. Hopefully, I'll be able to recapture the train again in the morning!

4:15-Word Count: 1750. Still rolling along:)

For years, I'd both heard about and seen the 'middle child syndrome'...a close neighbor of ours had three children, all spaced roughly 2 years apart. The oldest was my age and your typical overachiever; all-around athlete, top grades, and Mr. Personality. (There's a whole blog entry by itself...one of these days I tell you about how living next to him 'ruined' my future dating choices, ha ha!) The middle one was content to drift along, do his own thing, and had the misfortune of drawing some of the same teachers in school and was forever being compared to his (cough) brilliant older brother. And then the youngest entered the scene. Conscientious, inherited her father's artistic ability, and also a good student. The middle child was caught. Always being held up to his older brother's example, and now the sister was being praised by teachers breathing a sigh of relief that the third sibling was not going to be a discipline problem, and was turning out like the first one!

Having witnessed this and hearing the moans and groans over the rebellious middle child, I resolved to never have an odd number of children. Imagine my surprise, then, when after 10 years had passed, and oops! Guess what? Here comes child #3! I agonized; I had long conversations with people, and was reassurred my daughter would not get caught in that trap if I worked at it.

Having said that, another close friend has 3 kids, and today is their middle child's birthday. I have lovingly posted the Chi-Chi's version of Happy Birthday on their family's website for the older one, whom I took care of the first 10 months of his life, and more recently, their own 'caboose', who just turned 2 last month. Now it's Kevin's turn...do I continue to send in the same song, and give equal treatment? Naw...I think I'll do something special, to celebrate his status as a newly dubbed 'tween'. His creative honorary Aunt Molly has written the following.

This one's for you, Kevin! Enjoy your day:)

Kevin Nicholas, age 12!!

Kevin, oh Kevin, please don't be blue
I only met you twice; the first you were two...
I've got a sweet picture of you and my Sara
Playing with trucks or books, it really doesn't matter!

Fast forward ten years; you've grown up quite well
From Ozarks to tropical, I think that it's swell
That you live in my summer place; I want to come visit
And see Ft. Desoto, Tiki Gardens...I miss it!

Now you are twelve, and it's gonna be rough;
Voice changes, zits, middle school, but you are tough...
Just be your own boy; don't let Tom put you down;
Be a hero for Stevie, and your parents won't frown!

(cue the music!)

Happy happy happy birthday
Happy happy happy birthday
Happy happy happy birthday
To you, to you, to you, OLE'
(in case you felt left out, LOL!)

Love you, Kevin...Hope to see you again soon!