Mommy Middle Day

It ain’t easy being a middle child. If we didn’t experience it first hand, we at least heard about it from Jan Brady. Marcia (Marcia, Marcia) got the “wows” and Cindy with the lisp got the “awws.” The oldest sibling reaches every milestone with sparkly newness: first recital, first lost tooth, first sleepover. The youngest on the other hand, can do no wrong. No top of that, they go through childhood leaving a trail of nostalgic “lasts.” Even their last diaper change is cherished.

But as for the middle child? So many of my favorite people are middles! The ones I know are great listeners, are down to earth, and can negotiate the shizz out of anything. But often as children, feeling excluded, ignored or trying to find where they belong in the family can be common challenges.

For this reason, we’ve started “Mommy-Middle Day.” In the middle of every month, my middle child and I go, just the two of us, to the local diner for grilled cheese. Then we hop across the street to get slices of pie at the local pie shop. One apple, one cherry, both a là mode. The reason? Because good things are often found in the middle.

We talk, she and I. Or we just savor our pie. Afterwards, we walk back home. Her hand reaches for mine, and she seems a little more at ease, a little more at peace with her siblings, and a little less on the lookout for discrepancies in fairness to quibble over.

Sometimes it helps just to go that small extra step in parenting. Take it a là mode. It doesn’t have to be anything huge — a 30-minute trip to the pie shop, a hot cocoa on the porch while the others are out. As long as it’s a moment for your child to be seen and heard. And like that scoop of vanilla ice cream, sometimes adding that one simple thing can make a huge difference.