Second Child Syndrome

I often joke with my parents about everything I “endured” being the neglected second child. I’m sure others can relate to the overall lack of love a second child feels from parents who are too exhausted by the first child! Haha! So recently I was discussing with my mom how bad I feel for Cameron. Basically the only new things he will be getting is clothes, since I got rid of all of Houston’s, never planning to need them again!( However, I started saving them around the 18 month mark, thinking if I saved boy clothes, maybe someday I would have a girl! HA!) In reality though I am happy that Houston will have a playmate (who he will hopefully be nicer to than my sister was to me!), and it IS nice that they will share things like Legos and the train set. My children are VERY blessed to have almost ALL of their grandparents and great-grandparents still living (which translates into LOTS of TOYS!!), so hopefully by having 2 boys, we won’t need 3 closets to hold all their toys!

Anyway, my mom recently mailed me a copy of a sign one of our friends made for her back in the day and I had to share it!

There is absolutely nothing so sweet as a little baby, especially the second one. Mother’s whole attitude has changed – she now has learned the art of rearing children. To think of all the unnecessary energy and money she has wasted on the first!

FIRST CHILD                                                                                                         SECOND CHILD
Beautiful layette……………………………………………………………………………………..Trip to attic
Weight taken every day…………………………………………………………………Feel leg once a month
Sneeze? Call the doctor!........................................................................Pneumonia? Asprin
Powder every 19 minutes…………………………………………………………………Grease every month
Everything sterilized……………………………………………………………………………….Sucks bones
Waked up for visitors……………………………………………………………………………..No visitors come
Diapers changed when wet……………………………………………………………………Good swimmer
Buggy rides…………………………………………………………………………………………….Open the window
“He’s 9 months, 3 days, 2 hours old”……………………………………………”Born in August…I think”
Snapshots in album……………………………………………………………………………….Blank pages
Psychology book…………………………………………………………………………………….Daddy’s belt
“She’s crying”……………………………………………………………………………………”Turn up the TV”
Father no help at all…………………………………………………………………………Father no help at all
Bags under mother’s eyes………………………………………………………………Baby cries in the night
“Shhh, he’s asleep”……………………………………………………………………………”Let’s throw a party!”
Play pen………………………………………………………………………………………………Neighborhood
“Don’t let her out of sight”……………………………………………”She’ll be home when she’s hungry”

-Author Unknown-

So poor little Cameron will have to suffer from “Second Child Syndrome” just like his poor neglected mother!