The Middle Kid
Alex is neither the firstborn nor the baby, and feels unnoticeable. In the evenings, she loses herself in drawing characters from the old children’s books her grandfather has given her. She longs for sleep merely to dream.
Alex tells her own story. Her parents have busy jobs and can be distant. Alex, being the only responsible member of the family, supports her two brothers to keep the family together. Bo has a dream of becoming a swimming champion. Conrad is too young to have a dream and has to be sent to a special school due to underachievement, but secretly he learns to speak Latin.
Daniela’s English isn’t up to much but Alex discovers a kindred spirit when the Bulgarian au pair confesses that she too is a middle child. Eventually, Daniela meets the wrong kind of man and has to go home to have her baby. Alex is now old enough not to need childcare.
Alex’s cousin Nina, as well as Nina’s parents, are talented musicians and go on TV. Alex admits that Nina isn’t that bad a singer, possibly because Alex’s uncle and aunt are both middle children who express themselves and become noticeable by being creative.
Grandpa spent all his life as an engineering draughtsman, and when he dies he leaves his drawings to Alex. Alex shows them to her art teacher, Mrs Cathcart, who in turn passes them to the eccentric but inspirational Diana Coombs who takes the A-level students and is a legend in the school.
Diana sees Alex as a potential talent and invites her to one of the soirees she holds at home for senior students and others interested in art. She encourages Alex by accepting her as one of her artists and Alex is inspired to work up an illustrated character she originally based on Conrad—Dexter the Roman—into a children’s book.
Bo wins medals at the regional swimming championships and becomes a celebrity on his way to national and Olympic stardom, though his ambition to sleep with girls is also strong. Conrad’s dream is to teach Latin. Alex’s book looks certain to be published.
As children, how do we find our dream—a plan for our life that we can pursue tenaciously—and how much help do we need from friends, family and teachers? As adults and parents, how do we help the children in our care to succeed and be happy? The winning contributions are often small but can have miraculous effects, like leaving a set of drawings to a child, treating her like an equal, allowing her to become noticeable.
Alex tells her own story. Her parents have busy jobs and can be distant. Alex, being the only responsible member of the family, supports her two brothers to keep the family together. Bo has a dream of becoming a swimming champion. Conrad is too young to have a dream and has to be sent to a special school due to underachievement, but secretly he learns to speak Latin.
Daniela’s English isn’t up to much but Alex discovers a kindred spirit when the Bulgarian au pair confesses that she too is a middle child. Eventually, Daniela meets the wrong kind of man and has to go home to have her baby. Alex is now old enough not to need childcare.
Alex’s cousin Nina, as well as Nina’s parents, are talented musicians and go on TV. Alex admits that Nina isn’t that bad a singer, possibly because Alex’s uncle and aunt are both middle children who express themselves and become noticeable by being creative.
Grandpa spent all his life as an engineering draughtsman, and when he dies he leaves his drawings to Alex. Alex shows them to her art teacher, Mrs Cathcart, who in turn passes them to the eccentric but inspirational Diana Coombs who takes the A-level students and is a legend in the school.
Diana sees Alex as a potential talent and invites her to one of the soirees she holds at home for senior students and others interested in art. She encourages Alex by accepting her as one of her artists and Alex is inspired to work up an illustrated character she originally based on Conrad—Dexter the Roman—into a children’s book.
Bo wins medals at the regional swimming championships and becomes a celebrity on his way to national and Olympic stardom, though his ambition to sleep with girls is also strong. Conrad’s dream is to teach Latin. Alex’s book looks certain to be published.
As children, how do we find our dream—a plan for our life that we can pursue tenaciously—and how much help do we need from friends, family and teachers? As adults and parents, how do we help the children in our care to succeed and be happy? The winning contributions are often small but can have miraculous effects, like leaving a set of drawings to a child, treating her like an equal, allowing her to become noticeable.
