Mommy Confessions | Second Child Syndrome

1

Not too long ago our very own Sarah touched on Second Child Syndrome, and I smile a bit every time I think about it. Because you see, I AM a second child AND the child of not one but TWO second children, and now I am the parent of a second child.

Growing up, I could tell you of all the ways it was difficult to be a second born. I lived in hand-me-downs, my baby book was almost empty, I had about half the amount of professional pictures taken as my older sister, and I almost never had one on one time with my parents. They tried to prevent the inevitable (I mean, they knew what it was like- they were BOTH second born children) but alas, it happened anyway.

As far back as I can remember, I could think of all the many ways it would be different when I had children of my own. I would take my second child on special outings, I would get photos taken (and printed, and hung on the walls), and I would keep a detailed baby book.

Flash forward to my life as it is now… I have two precious small children. Yes, and my dear sweet second child… that little princess of mine… she too has fallen to the inevitable life cycle of all second children. I forgot to buy her a baby book; my sweet grandmother was thoughtful enough to bring me one to the hospital. I have never had professional photos taken of her, in fact I have never even printed out a single photo of her in her short 7.5 months of life. Yes I have blogged about her… but not nearly as much as I did her brother. And those hand me downs… well she has worn baby boy pj’s to bed on more than one occasion and she has bins of clothes that have been passed on to her to last her until she fits into a 2T. I don’t think I have bought her one single outfit. She shares a room with her brother-he wakes her up often. She almost never gets alone time with Mommy or Daddy.

BUT she is loved. She is greatly loved. AND I am not a bad parent for any of these things. Neither are you! I am sure that I am not alone in hoping that life wouldn’t get too busy to spend as much time with my second child as I did with my first. But so far, she has come through it unscathed.

Did you have big hopes and dreams of avoiding the ‘second child syndrome,’ how has that gone for you? 

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Jess Fischer is a Phoenix native who is happily married to her very best friend Lukas. She has two beautiful babies (15 ½ months apart!!) her son Parker and her daughter Piper. She has a love for most things domestic- be it cooking, sewing, crafting, or gardening although she has never enjoyed cleaning (oh well!) She loves saving money and views it as a game that she is constantly trying to win. She enjoys spending time with her family above all else. She recently started her own business and loves keeping friends and family up to date with her life on her family blog.

1 COMMENT

  1. Love this, Jess (and that pic!) – thank you! I agree that it’s almost inevitable, and I also think there are some benefits to being a second child as well – having a big sibling is definitely a plus, right? Love your perspective on BEING a #2 kid as well (since I am a firstborn I don’t have the same insight). 🙂

Comments are closed.