The whole, being the second-born thing.
After 30+ years of being the firstborn, it's taken actually spawning a second-born to really get what you've been moaning about all this time.
Jeez guy, you got a raw deal!
Or did you ... ?
There is no question the second-born:
- is woefully neglected in comparison to the smothering attention bestowed upon the FB
- is allowed to sleep on its tummy, eat grapes, suck on the dog blanket and countless other 'life-threatening' things the FB would never have done
- receives far less tolerance of his/her moods, likes & dislikes and basic opinion in general
- is often rudely woken from his/her nap to accommodate the rest of the family's plans
- wears lots of hand-me-downs
- always gets the smaller 'half'
BUT ... in my experience the second-born also:
- is continually defended, stuck up for, sided with and is very seldom the first one punished for sibling nastiness, all because he/she is physically smaller, not less guilty
- is allowed to sleep on its tummy, eat grapes, suck on the dog blanket and countless other
- has a huge amount of toys and books at his/her disposal, not all of them necessarily age-appropriate but all available to be explored and dismantled and tasted and trashed
- has the love of a whole additional person
- gets lots of new stuff due to the guilt of it always wearing hand-me-downs
- has the opportunity to grow and explore his/her world in peace, without the continual scrutiny of two enraptured parents
So while I finally get why you've made accusations of persecution and neglect these last 30 odd years, it also makes sense to me how you've grown into the confident, practical and big-hearted guy you are. I may even need to take some credit here.
Love you dude!
And PS. No, I'm not going to have a 3rd just to understand the whole 'middle child' thing. Sorry.
just wait 'til the teen years...when little's only rule is "no pot in the living room" (anywhere else in the house is fine) and there is no punishment for taking the car and driving a friend home at the age of 12. and then there's that little sister gets her own car at 14 while you, big sis, had to be driven to and picked up from school 'til the bitter end at graduation...but i'm not bitter. that "win or don't come home" was surely a good rule to live by...
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