Middle child syndrome

Emma has always been a 'spirited' child. She is our most creative, most curious, and often times most frustrating child. She is probably the kindest of the three, but she is the most misunderstood as well. Being the middle, she struggles to find her place. She feels cheated that she doesn't get the responsibilities of the oldest, but also doesn't get the attention of the youngest. If she were a boy, perhaps things would be different and she would shine with her differences, but she is very similar to the other two girls in her abilities and her interests making it hard for her to find her unique fit. Wednesday was the last day of school and Grace was invited to spend the afternoon with a friend. I jumped at the chance to get Emma all to myself. I let her pick whatever she wanted to do and it warmed my heart when she picked a spending an afternoon with me instead of inviting one of her own friends over to play. We shared secrets over lunch and ice cream, and then headed to Potters Obsession to spend a few more hours chatting while we painted. It rarely happens that we get time alone just the two of us, and I was so thankful to get to spend time with Emma and remind her how important she is to our family. 

What a perfectly relaxing afternoon to let Emma be the "only" for a while. Hopefully with a conscious effort to help Emma find her place we can help quiet the Middle Child Syndrome that she's been experiencing lately.