I was the middle child. That already comes with baggage from what I have shared with other middle children through my life. I was kind of stuck in the middle, too young to tag along with my older brother and too old to do anything else with my baby sister but baby-sit her.
When I got sick, both siblings suffered. Of course everyone in the family suffers but my brother got into trouble for extra attention and my sister was tossed from neighbor to neigbor or family member so my parents could “take care of me.” As a result, m brother seemed to have blamed all his troubles in his life on me. I seemed to be the reason for all of his problems, and my sister seems to have no memory of me really being sick. She feels left out. As adults, this still shows itself. All my parents honestly did was make sure all of their chldren were taken care of, and not neglected and focused on me, who had to be focused on. I was extrememly ill. In a nutshell they “did the best they could in the stuation they were in!” It is hard when you are in it to see that. Just remember when one person in the home is very ill, the entire family is ill, and should be treated that way. Try to pay attention to the behavior of all involved and get help and talk to someone who may be able to help the entire family in recovery.
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