There is something about the middle child - something extremely annoying.  Anyone with me?  In our family, the firstborn is, of course, the first to do anything.  Our oldest is a risk-taker, loves to read and is a sponge for information.  He has much to learn about common sense but he's getting there.  I can see in him a glimpse of the man he's going to become and it's a thrill.  My youngest gets the attention because her Daddy thinks she's the cutest thing.  She's funny, loveable, holds her own when she needs to against her brothers, and can draw anything she dreams up.  And then, there's the middle child.  Alec has spent his entire life, well at least after his little sister was born, vying for attention.  ANY attention.  He does this by being rude, demanding, dramatic, a whiner, and a hypochondriac.  Everyday, he has a new pain or his throat is sore or yada, yada, yada.  Alec was a loveable, sweet child until about the age of 4-1/2.  Now he's 9-1/2. 

I remember when I didn't get along with my oldest, Chad.  I can't remember what age he was but I actually saw our church's counselor about it because it was upsetting me so.  She was rude and unhelpful and charged me $50.  We no longer attend that church.  Anyway, now my oldest and I have a pretty good relationship.  It makes me sad that Alec and I are going through a similar time though not as rough as I had with Chad.  We still have a loving relationship at times, he's the first to offer a kiss or hug when I'm upset but he gets my wrath more than the others, due to his constant vying for attention.  And he's the kind of kid who hasn't really learned how to appreciate things.  We are trying very hard at this but it is slow-going.

Case in point - Alec and his art projects.  As I said before, he is desperately trying to create a TV-worthy marionette.  He wants to recreate the scenes from the Thunderbirds series (from the 1960's) and he's done quite a bit of work toward that.  But now he really wants to make a marionette like they have on the series.  Good old Mom bought him a book thinking it would help but it's been a nightmare.  He needed clay to make the head so I bought him that.  He made the head of clay but then, the book said, he needed to make a mold out of plaster of Paris.  After he makes the mold, he'll need to make the head out of paper mache.  Are you getting the picture here?  This is involved!  Seriously involved, at least for someone like me who really isn't good at this kind of thing.  And he always asks for my help while I'm making dinner.  And I always get uptight and have to tell him I can't and then he gets angry and it goes from there.  I hate this cycle.  Anyway, last night I told him we would make the plaster mold today.  So, today, he gets a box, like the book says, and mixes up the plaster in a bowl.  But there was too much water in the mix and he didn't stir it very well.  It's a good thing he covered the floor with newspaper.  He poured the plaster mix into the box and, of course, it seeped out the bottom.  Oh, what a mess.  He ran off, crying.  I thought he had sealed the bottom of the box with tape.  I got him back from his room and we cleaned up the mess.  We added more plaster to the mix and it started hardening - fast!  I quickly poured it into a bag inserted into the box and then he put his clay head into the plaster.  THEN he tells me we are supposed to let it set overnight.  I'm not going to continue with this explanation as it gets more ridiculous.  Suffice it to say I was left with a bowl of hardened plaster, the plaster in the bag may or may not set up, we'll see.  I have no idea if his idea will work and about the only thing good about this was I turned it into a discussion about what we did right and what we did wrong.  I want to encourage him to go with his ideas but, geesh, I don't know.  I think it's his attitude.  He makes me feel like I'm just there at his beck and call.  I DON'T THINK SO!  I think it comes down to the fact that there has been so much going on in our family for the past few years and Alec has just developed a way to get my attention, any way he can.  I feel like I've failed to teach him respect or something.  I really need to be in prayer about Alec because I have to deal with this NOW.  Dh has told me I'm not firm enough but I feel like I am but maybe I'm not.  Who knows?  I think my sense of humor has taken a back burner in the last 6 months.  A sense of humor goes a long way to diffusing situations like I've been experiencing. 

I have to remind myself that this is a phase.  Chad grew out of his rude phase and I'm sure my middle son will too.  It breaks my heart when he hurts my feelings - how do you keep from taking things they say personal?  I'm with these little people all day - they are my closest friends.  Sometimes I wonder if I didn't homeschool, I would see my kids differently.  They would just be "kids" and their comments would just roll off my back.  But because we are so close, I see them as more than just kids.  Is any of this making any sense?  Do any of you have issues like these?  How does an ultra-sensitive woman like me develop a hard-as-nails shell to let the comments bounce?  O.k. readers - let's hear it.  Or at least, leave me a good joke - I could use a laugh!