My Parents' Favorite Is Also the Family Drama Queen

So here's my story. I'm the middle child in this family of three, me, my older brother Tom, and our baby sister Emma. My parents have always been super into making everything fair between us, which is cool most of the time but also drives me crazy because it's like we're never allowed to be anything other than what they expect us to be. And you know how it goes, my mom loves to dote on little Emma with her pink dresses and dolls, while Dad sees Tom as this amazing athlete who brings home trophies from every game. But let me tell you about something that really got under my skin the other day. We were all having dinner at this fancy restaurant for Emma's birthday, a place where I usually go out of respect but honestly don't love because it feels too posh and I prefer good ol' pizza any day. So we're there, eating our overpriced food, when Tom gets this huge phone call about one of his big games coming up in the weekend. It's like he just can't wait to drop everything for sports talk, even during family time. But here's where it gets good: after all the excitement about Tom’s game, Emma starts crying because her dessert is ice cream instead of cake. Dad, of course, immediately jumps into dad-mode and makes everyone stop talking so he can comfort sweet little Emma and get her what she wants, like I didn't just sit there through the whole Tom sports drama. And then it gets worse: once things calm down a bit, Mom asks me how school is going. Now, don't get me wrong, my grades are good too, but let's face it, they're not as flashy as trophies or crying kids over desserts that aren’t exactly necessities. So I tell her about the project I’m working on in history class and all the research I’ve been doing. And you know what she does? She nods politely, looks like she might be interested for a second, but then quickly changes the subject back to Emma’s cake drama or Tom’s next big game. Now, if you’re wondering why this is even bothering me so much when my parents clearly love both of them equally, well, it's because I feel stuck in the middle. It's like they forget I'm there and that all I want sometimes is for someone to pay attention to what I’m doing too. But hey, maybe next week we'll try someplace more casual, fingers crossed.