SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE

I think Rachel is feeling a bit overlooked these days, with Emily’s graduation looming and us talking about college, college, college. It’s classic middle-child syndrome, and I am quite familiar with it since I was the THIRD GIRL in our family. I used to call myself the "also ran" and the "necessary evil" in my parents’ determined plan to have a boy. Someday I will regale you with the many slights and injustices I suffered (or thought I suffered) as a middle child, and I know you’ll look forward to that. But for right now, suffice it to say that I sent my parents on enough guilt trips by dredging up the past to understand where Rachel is coming from.

Please understand that I mostly teased my parents about stuff just to be funny and not for any nefarious purpose. Because bottom line is I felt truly loved...and sometimes that middle position is a nice, cushiony place to be. The truth is my parents made most of their parenting mistakes on my older sisters, and didn’t start spoiling anyone until my brothers came along. So pretty much I’m the most well-adjusted of the lot. And the smartest according to my mom. But none of that’s important.

What is important is that when Rachel tells me that I will do NOTHING but talk on the phone next year to Emily and NEVER pay attention to her, and when she says Emily will take ALL of their shared clothes with her to college, leaving Rachel with NOTHING decent to wear, I take it in stride. I understand. And I empathize. And someday I’ll get around to reassuring her, but first I have to get Emily’s graduation invitations ordered.

Anyway, I wanted to give you an update on Rachel since my last two posts were about...you guessed it...my OTHER children! I think that might be ironic? As fanatical as I can be about grammar, I’ve never been too clear on my English concepts. True confession.

So I haven’t had lunch yet today, but I will probably have leftover chicken rigatoni and some more blueberry yogurt.