Do you think the middle child syndrome actually exists? For those of you who might not know, middle child syndrome is the belief that middle children are usually excluded, ignored, or even outright neglected because of their birth order. something about being in the middle, after the exciting first child, and before the extra spoiled youngest child, is supposed to feel like you are the least loved one. I am a middle child, I have an older and a younger sister. But personally, and I might even s…

Bringing a four-year-old on a flight with you will require some planning in advance. At the tender age of four, most kids just cannot sit still for the duration of a plane ride . At that age, children want to run around and play until they drop. Sitting still and being quiet aren't usually in a kid's skill set at that age. That's why many parents find themselves stocking up on snacks and charging up their iPad before they head to the airport. At least a lot of planes nowadays offer personal TV…

How often do you think one should visit their grandparents? Of course, it depends on how far they live from them, but let us assume they live no more than an hour away. Should they visit once or twice a month, every week, or maybe even a few times a week? Regardless of your answer, this Reddit story might change your perspective on the subject at hand. The OP of the Reddit post wrote about a competition her grandfather decided to secretly hold between all the members of the family. Throughout t…

Our small flat during college housed six girls. Although we had a great relationship and enjoyed sharing our home, laundry day always seemed to bring problems. To be honest, we all wish we had thought of this strategy while we were in college. Now let's get back to business: everything seemed to be going OK until OP decided to utilize the laundry facilities downstairs. OP discovers that her clothing has been left wet and strewn on the floor when she returns to the common area precisely sixty mi…

Money is never an easy subject to bring up within a family. No matter how close you are to your parents or siblings, talking about salaries, inheritances, or wills will always be awkward. That is why I think as parents, you have to be sensible and honest if you end up in a spot where you have to bring these subjects up. Do not try to sugarcoat anything, but talk to your kids like the adults they probably are. That is the advice I would personally give this person who turned to Reddit for advice…

We recently came across a story of a frustrated son having to deal with the consequences of a supposedly irresponsible mother. ( Read here! ) The mother came to visit the son for the holidays and stayed at a local hotel. A few weeks later, the son gets a package with a vase and a note from his mom saying “call me.” Turns out his mom had stolen a fancy vase from the hotel and the hotel sent her a bill for $1,200 for it and now the mother wanted him to return it. A mortified son, but dutiful none…

You need to be careful when you sell products online because oftentimes, people will say anything to get what they want. They will make up a whole family to get a discount if they have to. One person was selling some Christmas products (prefilled stockings) on Marketplace when she was contacted by a mother who wanted to make a large order for her kids. At first, the lady asked for a discount, which OP felt was reasonable as it was such a big order. They agreed on the price of $250, and made a p…

'First come, first serve' has been the mantra of many over the decades– in particular, siblings fighting over the shower, kids vying for toys at recess, and cousins loading up their plates at the family buffet. Generally, people tend to respect this little rule we've made for society, but apparently, some folks feel entitled to whatever they want in the world, ignoring the laws that separate humanity from that of the animals.

Sometimes the village has to step in… and parent someone else's child. This is probably one of the most sensitive topics in the world, as parents often feel like failures, just like you and your imposter syndrome at work. Am I doing this right? I shouldn't have yelled at them like that. Why haven't they brushed their teeth yet and WHAT IS UP WITH THEIR MUSIC? Many thoughts go through parents' heads, and not all of them are pretty. We are all human, and taking care of another human is really har…

When you do something wrong, you should feel bad about it and accept there are going to be repercussions. This is called a consequence, and without experiencing that negative stimulus, how on earth are you going to learn not to do it again? Still, the punishment needs to fit the crime, and making a public display when a young child makes a mistake isn't really the way to go about it. Ironically, this teacher hasn't learned her own intended lesson, as evidenced by the fact that she doesn't feel…

Kids don't understand the value of things. It may sound old school, but the only way to really know what something is worth, is to work really hard to acquire it. And just like we learned when watching Antiques Roadshow at 2AM, when it comes to vintage, classic, or collector's valuables, there's more than just the monetary value to something– that lazy-eyed clown doll may seem worthless, but to the clown collecting bag lady, it's priceless.

Everyone knows not to mess with a mom in fear of the mama bear coming out. But what about the kids who were raised by a mama bear? Those kids grow up feeling secure by their mom, so now they will do anything to return the favor. That's the example these kids show for their mom. The two brothers and sister in this family are all grown up now, in their late 20s-early 30s. One of the brothers shared a story about how they showed up for their mom and got the revenge she deserved . Their mom was dat…

You would think most of us would know at this point that being the primary “breadwinner” in a family does not mean you are entitled to make a fuss when dinner is not on the table upon your return home from work. It's 2023, people! We should have more realistic expectations of all parties in a family dynamic, and therefore, we should have equal respect for the financial and emotional contributions that all parties make. Unfortunately, these kinds of expectations do not gradually fizzle from one…

Overprotective parents are known to go the extra mile in the name of keeping an eye on their children, but tracking the nanny outside of work hours is way too far. You would think that any employer would know that this would be a clear invasion of privacy, yet apparently, some folks need to be reminded of decent human behavior. Just because we live in an age where it's easy to stalk someone doesn't mean you should. Again, this should be self-explanatory, but as it turns out, this basic sense of…

You might wish sometimes that you could lock up your antagonists for good or maybe entomb them “The Cask of Amontillado” style.

Recent developments in “mass content” social media have resulted in this strange divergence in the population. On one hand, there are those who share everything online and post every little detail of their day as if they're living their life on a stage. On the other hand, is the rest of the population who are horrified at the very thought of sharing a single image of themselves, let alone videos with entire monologues about intimate details of their lives. Now, you're free to live your own life…