There’s nothing wrong with the middle…

There’s nothing wrong with the middle…

You’ve probably heard of “Middle Child Syndrome,” right. Now, I don’t think the American Medical Association actually classifies it as a legitimate medical condition, but there seems to be something to it. I’ve known enough middle children to make that judgment. In fact, I’ve raised one, all the way to adulthood now, and as of earlier this month, all the way through high school.

That’s right, my middle child recently graduated from Marion High School, the same high school I graduated from 25 years ago (Shout out to the Class of 1991!). It was actually kind of cool to see my son graduate from my alma mater. My oldest graduated from West Memphis, which back in the day would have probably gotten him ostracized at the Thanksgiving dinner table, but the times have changed ‘round here.

Speaking of my oldest, he’s all about the academia. He’s in honors college at Ouachita Baptist and living the college life. That was sort of his goal from a very early age and that’s pretty cool.

This one, though (aka the Middle Child), not so much.

Now, don’t get me wrong. He’s plenty smart enough, but the school work hasn’t really ever been his priority. He’ll be the first to tell you that. Oh, he’s going to do “well enough,” I assure you, lest he suffer the wrath of his school teacher mother, who fully believes “C” is for “Could do better with a little more effort.” He made the choice to excel in other fields. He’s been in the band, the choir, the drama club, he’s been in musicals and plays and gone on mission trips around the country (and he’ll be headed to Puerto Rico in a few weeks on another one). He’s funny, artistic, charming and selfless. Oh, and quirky… and not just “middle child” quirky… more like “should have probably gotten him tested for something” quirky. But you know what? He’s aware of his quirkiness and he embraces it. And I wouldn’t really have wanted him to take a pill or anything to un-quirky him. It’s who he is and who he is makes for a pretty cool kid. He wanted a tattoo instead of class ring, so he got a tattoo. He cashed in a box full of quarters, nickels and dimes to buy a Playstation 4. He doesn’t chew gum! What kid doesn’t chew gum? His favorite vegetable is macaroni and cheese. He comes in to tuck my wife and me in every night.

He’s definitely a middle child, and as such, he can drive us a little crazy, like the time he “moved out” (and in to the shed) after he brought home a progress report with a 4 in Algebra (yes, you read that right, a 4… as in out of 100), or the time we tried the “if all of your friends jumped off of a bridge, would you?” argument, and he responded sheepishly with “Well, if it looked fun…” And one of my favorites: His rule that we can’t drive around town with the windows rolled down, “because someone might think we’re gangsters.”

But he’s an adult now (even if he might starve to death if we forget to feed him). He’s got a steady girlfriend (almost two years now), he’s got a summer job lined up, and he got a full ride to ASU Mid-South, via the MHS Principal’s Scholarship. He’s not quite ready to leave the nest yet (which is just fine with his mom), so he’s still going to be at home for a while (which means I get out of mowing the yard for a little while longer). He wants to be a teacher. Honestly, he can be whatever he wants to be.

But he’ll always be my Randle Pooh…

Ralph Hardin is the Editor of the Evening Times. He lives in Marion with his lovely wife and three children. Well, one is off to college and the other just graduated from high school, but he’s still got his little girl, even though she just turned 10, and… is someone chopping onions in here?

“Marion State of Mind” By Ralph Hardin