Since we had baby Liam nine months ago, we have been observing some pretty major change in the behaviour of our other children…especially Sean, our second boy, who is 4.5 years old.

He has become aggressive, ridiculously and recklessly noisy, unthinking, deliberately provocative, and shouts “No!” to everything – except offers of chocolate.

He was grumpy as an old man, until he found out why his bike wouldn’t go anymore. Then he thought it was hilarious!

His first ever word was “NO!”… so it is not really a surprise that when he discovered that he was no longer the baby in our family his reaction was… anger. At first, he thought he was getting promoted when he discovered that he was going to be a big brother: and that is certainly how we sold it to him before Liam was born.

But Sean has discovered the truth. Every boy in the family (including my husband), has actually been DE-moted one place so I can pour my attention on Liam.

But my husband is a big boy, and he wanted a third child as much as I did.

Callum who is 6.5 years old, is bitter. But he has had the experience before, of course, when Sean came along.

But for Sean, it is all new. At least Callum still has the unmovable status of first-born child and biggest brother, whatever happens. And Liam will now always be the baby in the family. But Sean has gone from being the protected baby to… well… nobody in particular. He is just – in the middle.

A few seconds after these pictures, he waved his hand and knocked the cup on the floor, and it broke!!

When Sean is alone with Mum or Dad, or at school, he is a co-operative joy to be with. Playful, witty, funny, sharing, considerate clown. But when he is around Callum, he fights, bites, spits, taunts and teases until Callum explodes in tears, and Sean ends up in his room, which he trashes. He is pretty good at slamming the door!

So, this is what the parenting books are talking about when they say “Middle Child Syndrome”.

I worry and worry what he will turn out like as an adult.

And then I realise that…both my husband and I are “middle children”.

Ahh! So that’s why hubby is so stubborn!

And maybe that is why he always says I am also so stubborn?