The McClellan Meanderings: May 2012

Many of us have heard of it, yet do we really know what it means or why we call it that? Middle children are often "the forgotten children". We don't purposefully forget them, yet it happens- frequently! The oldest child is the "pioneer", he/she paves the way and is expected to be the example for the siblings down the line. They are the leader and as such, are often given special attention and praise. Then we have the youngest child; often spoiled, and has the most confidence because the parents have spent all their energy disciplining the other children that they are more laid back with their "baby". So where does that leave the middle child or children? Well, in our particular family, we have only one (living) daughter, so that is another special situation... she too is treated differently because she's our only girl. She never has to have hand-me-downs, never has to share a room, or toys, or baths...you get the picture. So we've narrowed it down to one. The middle child. Perhaps the middle child is often left wondering "where do I fit in?" They are not given much attention and as a result, they may have behavior problems or lack of self confidence issues. Well our middle child is Collin. Going through my blogs within the past year, I realized that I have posted on Cameron- the oldest, with all his accomplishments and talents; same with Madeline- our sweet and talented girl; and I've posted on Creed, with most of the pictures being of him, because he's our baby... but what about Collin? Sadly, I struggle to remember Collin as a baby. I know he was a very good baby, and extremely handsome! But for the life of me, I do not remember his childhood! How does a mother not remember a child growing up?! Well Collin is our middle child, but by some miracle, he does not possess the typical traits of a middle child. He is, and always has been, a very happy child! He is our jokester in the family and always keeps us laughing. He will be turning 8 in October, and I just shake my head and think "really? 8 years old? where has that gone!" So I dedicate this post to Collin (Coney-Dog as we call him because that's how he said his name when he was little- minus the dog- and it kind of stuck) Collin, you may be in the middle of our family, but you are defintitely no less important than the others. You were placed in our family for a reason, and we are so eternally grateful!

Always been such an awesome big brother!