You know you're the middle child...

...when your shoes get too small and your mom doesn't buy you new ones. Many months ago (to be honest I don't know when exactly) Max started complaining that his shoes were too small. I'm not sure what was happening at the time, but we must have had a lot going on because we never made it to a shoe store. Instead, without saying anything to me, Max just found, and started wearing, some old shoes that Reed had recently grown out of, but that were still in the closet. (Apparently, somehow Reed had gotten new shoes??) The shoes were a couple sizes too big for him, but I guess the fact that Max had shoes on his feet and was no longer complaining made me completely forget that Max needed new shoes.

It wasn't until we went ice skating for Reed's birthday that it was brought to my attention that it had been a while since I had purchased shoes for him. When I went to rent skates for Max I asked first for a size 11 and when they were too small I assumed they just ran small. But when I had to return to the counter three more times, each time asking for a larger size, I realized that Max's foot had grown considerably since his last pair of shoes. I think even the teenager working the rental counter was starting to wonder, "What kind of mother has no idea what size shoe their child wears?" I felt pretty bad.

Since then I have not purchased Max new shoes because--well... Reed's shoes do actually mostly fit him now. The best part of all of this is that Max never complained or even mentioned anything about needing or wanting new shoes after he started wearing Reed's shoes (which by the way must have been like flip flops at the start given that they were three sizes bigger than his last shoes.)

Yep, Max is definitely a middle child and in my book it might be the best spot to be. (I may be partial.) He certainly is my most go-with-the-flow child at the moment. I don't know if that is more out of necessity or personality. I read once that middle children are often good peacemakers that still fight for what is really important to them. I think that fits Max pretty well...just like his "new" shoes.

Don't let that forlorn look fool you---he was thrilled with the "new" basketball shoes he added to his collection this week.