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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]It's the middle child you lose the bond with, if you had it to begin with. The baby is often the favorite, or the one you are most connected to. The middle loses their role.[/quote]

As a parent of three, both my middle child and I would agree with this.  I wouldn't say we lost the bond, but she rightfully feels like the stereotypical middle child at times.[/quote]

It's incredibly common. It's about family roles and the need for children to have defines roles and a sense of belonging.

The first child is always the oldest and that position can never be threatened. Even when first children experience envy or jealousy of younger siblings, their role as the eldest is assured and it provides a sense of security. If you have 3+ kids, one of the most important things you can do is ensure any [b]middle children have clearly defined roles[/b] and that their value to the family is clear. Many parents instinctively overlook middle children without really thinking about it or realizing they are doing it.[/quote]

I think this is a key thing to think about for middle child bonding — the families I know where middle children are week adjusted generally have some sort of distinguishing feature, like the only of their gender or different interests then their siblings, or there’s a big age gap so it’s more like only/2 kid or 2 kid/only dynamics.  Not to say it can’t work otherwise but it’s important to make sure that all your kids but especially middle kids know that you see them as special.

And OP, I get your question.  I only have two and sometimes I still worry that my baby is not getting as much attention since my focus is inevitably split.[/quote]

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