The Second-Child Blues

[shereads]

Baby Catherine

Ooooh. Awwww.

 

[shereads]

I don't have a pony but I can give you a ride

So much for the "madonna and child" bit. Floosie!

 

[shereads]

different kinds of documentation..

#1 had everything she ate first and all that nonsense documented..

#2 pictures.. millions of them..

but i dont suppose it counts seeing as they are lost now..

the things that i miss the most are the skating pics of eldest ...

she was trainging with khazakstan coach right after they had gotten back from nagano.. and they had child #2 on the ice when she was 2yrs old..
those kinds of pics can never ever be replaced.. but i have it in memories.. a good thing.

How did you lose your pictures?

 

[shereads]

My elder daughter solved the problem of second child pictures by buying my first grand-daughter her own camera -- the first child wasnt burned out on taking baby pictures, so there are actually more pictures of the second grand-child than there are of the first.

That's brilliant.

The older sister can bond with the baby that way...Or gather evidence for blackmail later...

 

[shereads]

...meaning that not only do second-children get photographed less, first-ones are forgotten when number 2 arrives.

I've seen a couple of kids completely disappear into the background when twins came along. Who can compete with a matched set?

 

[Mhari]

I am the third child of three. My mother documented every little bit of my sisters' infanthoods...and almost none of mine.

Just a few weeks ago, she realized this. She was horrified and terribly apologetic. Then she said, "Well, you know...it was so hard to keep up with you. You learned to talk and do things so fast we didn't know what was happening!"

Whether it's true or not, it sure appealled to my ego.

But it makes me of the opinion that if you do it for one child, you should do it for all. When I remember how sad I felt looking at the exhaustive list of my older sister's first words and seeing that my mother hadn't even put down when I learned to talk, much less what I said.... I don't think any child should have to go through that.

~M

 

[shereads]

I am the third child of three. My mother documented every little bit of my sisters' infanthoods...and almost none of mine.

Just a few weeks ago, she realized this. She was horrified and terribly apologetic. Then she said, "Well, you know...it was so hard to keep up with you. You learned to talk and do things so fast we didn't know what was happening!"

Whether it's true or not, it sure appealled to my ego.

But it makes me of the opinion that if you do it for one child, you should do it for all. When I remember how sad I felt looking at the exhaustive list of my older sister's first words and seeing that my mother hadn't even put down when I learned to talk, much less what I said.... I don't think any child should have to go through that.

~M

I was also brighter and cuter. Maybe our moms just thought our accomplishments would speak for themselves, because we were outstanding.

 

[doormouse]

My kids are lucky. I only have two, and yes, the second seemed to pose less and less for the camera...

I was sixth born, and only my eldest sister was lucky enough to get a photo of her with Mum when she was a baby. I ended up being one of ten. The youngest are twins, who have had more photos taken of them than the rest of us put together.

Photos are one thing, but love neither of my kids are lacking. They know they're loved and cherished. I think the time spent with kids far outweighs the amount of times you pull out the camera. I take their photos when we're out, or on special occasions. I guess as they get older, the desire to capture each and every precious moment diminishes a little.

I think I'd be the same if I had another baby. The initial joy/thrill of having a baby has long gone, so I'd probably do the same as with my second, and take those 'precious' moments. Not just every time he/she smiled or made my heart flutter.

I love the pics I have of me as a kid, and if there were more of them, I'd probably think less of them. Too much of a good thing...

 

[Guest]

 

[Svenskaflicka]

I've seen a couple of kids completely disappear into the background when twins came along. Who can compete with a matched set?

In identical dresses, with identical hair bows, and identical pacifiers... and when they're a little older, identical pigtails.

 

[Clare Quilty]

I was the third and last child and my mother has plenty of pictures of me in terribly gay baby outfits, she shows them to anyone who will look

I am so glad that by the time I was born, my mother no longer had the inclination to dress up her sons like Little Lord Fuck-Pants. All my brother ever wore, until the age of 10, were crested blazers, bow-ties and short-pants.