The middle...

I don't often participate in the Mono-Monday challenge, but the weather has been dull and grey, and photographic opportunities limited. At first I was rather taxed by the title, but then I thought it was the ideal opportunity to photograph my middle son.

Middle children often get a bad press, but recent research has shown that they are often remarkably successful, with a disproportionate number of American presidents being middle children. Famous middle children include Bill Gates, Nelson Mandela, Abraham Lincoln and JF Kennedy.

Alex exhibits many of the best traits of middle children which include - 

High levels of empathy
An easy-going nature
Well developed negotiating skills
Being loyal friends and faithful partners
Having a strong sense of justice
Creativity
Thinking outside the box
Patience
Being able to mediate in confrontation.

Of course, there are down sides - middle children can often be very keen to please their friends which can make them more vulnerable to peer pressure, can be disorganised  and may be reluctant to take on responsibility. But on the whole I think the positive attributes outweigh the negatives, at least in the case of my middle son.