The Everything Parent's Guide to Raising Siblings: Tips to Eliminate Rivalry, Avoid Favoritism, and Keep the Peace by Linda Sonna

Author:Linda Sonna
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: ebook, book
Publisher: Adams Media
Published: 2011-06-25T00:00:00+00:00

Middle children tend to be wonderful friends. They may not be great conversationalists, but they have lots of practice listening while others talk. They probably gave up trying to be the center of attention long ago and are happy to remain on the sidelines as enthusiastic supporters and cheerleaders. Peers appreciate middle children's easygoing, independent personalities and indifference to rules. Many middle children create surrogate families from their peers and are very loyal friends.

Helping Middle Children

Criticism is not likely to alter their basic personalities but may well alienate them. Don't assume that their different values and lack of motivation are signs of rebellion. The secret to engaging middle children is to talk less and listen more. Remember that experiences that seem old hat to you are new to them. They have lots to say but take longer than a firstborn to express themselves. If you were somewhat haphazard about your middle children's care early on, they will probably be haphazard when they do things. If you were rather disorganized, often let things slide, and cut lots of corners, they are probably more easygoing than conscientious. If you were somewhat indifferent to their accomplishments, they may not be very ambitious. If you gave them a lot less attention than your oldest and youngest, they may not be as bonded to you or share your values. If you gave them a lot of space to develop in their own way, they are probably more free-spirited, self-sufficient, and independent. If you didn't make educational activities priorities, they may not enjoy them or consider them especially important.

Alert!

Trying to separate your middle child from a surrogate family of friends may lead to open rebellion. An older child will probably resent having you suddenly take charge. It is wiser to lure him back into the fold by accepting and supporting him. Try relating to him like a friend.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.