Middle Child

I am the oldest of four kids, and the only girl in the bunch. I am blessed to be the mom of three energetic kids; the older two are boys and the "baby" is a girl. As my firstborn, Ryan, gets older, I am realizing more how I am able to empathize with him because of his position in the family. We've talked about things that are great about being the oldest, like sometimes going to bed later, getting invited to birthday parties of kids from school, and going to Disneyland first. On the flip side, we've also discussed the not-so-great aspects, such as being at school when the younger two get to go to the park and being the only one who has to rush to get ready for school in the first place.

I'll never be able to put myself in the birth order "shoes" of the younger kids. How will this fact affect my parenting? I've come to realize recently that my middle child, Luke, is becoming more verbal and noticeably louder. I'm wondering if this is his way of making sure that he is heard. It seems like he feels a need to talk over his siblings. My daughter, Keira, has been demanding and loud since she began speaking, it seems. Then again, she has two older brothers to compete with. Personality has a lot to do with it, too. Keira is not timid or shy; she lets anyone know what she wants. Maybe Luke is just learning to be more assertive, which is good, because the last thing I want for him is to be walked on.

Oh, and today I learned that I like Internet Explorer 7 better than 8 and there IS a correct way to boil eggs: http://whatscookingamerica.net/Eggs/BoiledEggs.htm