Middle child

And i thought we were past the worst of the middle child syndrome. But no, over the past few days i learned that second son had an incomplete grade because of something really stupid and completely avoidable on his part.

After i bawled him out for his irresponsible actions, i set him to work on setting things right. And two nights ago i thought it was done. Only to find out earlier today when i asked him to check the status of his grade that NO, there were 2 more requirements he had not submitted due to a technical glitch and he had not backed up those 2 papers!

More sermon, more bawling. He was grounded until he redid those 2. In the end, i stayed behind to help him.

After finishing everything, i explained the consequences of his actions. We talked – i dont know if he learned anything from this fiasco.

If he gets kicked out, there will be other opportunities. It doesnt bother me as much but what really set me off was that the whole thing was avoidable. I could understand if it was beyond his abilities but no, it was very much within his capabilities except that he was just overconfident of his skills. Hubris, i told him. Look it up and learn the downfall of many notable men.

O said today’s incident reminded him of his younger brother – the middle child. And now he could understand his dad’s exasperation.

And now i understand why my ME classmate mentioned how his mom never stopped praying for him. I take comfort that this middle child classmate turned out well in his business, being the most successful among his siblings and married to a fine woman.

There will be hope for my second son.