Yesterday I had kind of a strange experience involving my parents and I'm seeking feedback on what it means.

I'm 43 years old and the second of six - three girls, then three boys. Growing up, my dad was always a little bit distant with us, but my mother was very involved and caring.

My neighbor is an artist and my mother wanted some sketches of us kids taken from photos of when we were younger. I've been the go between, so I've negotiated pricing, made copies of the pictures for him, sent him a down payment, etc. He texted rough draft sketches of the six of us to me yesterday and I forwarded them to my parents for her feedback.

When they sent back their opinions, it was clear they'd been studying them carefully and had comments like: **'s face is a little too round, there needs to be more sparkle in **'s eyes, ** is perfect ... They had feedback for every sketch, even if just to approve it, except mine. Not a word was said, or has been said about the sketch of me.

I understand that they're getting older, they're busy, maybe they thought they'd already said something ... I don't know. But why would they completely overlook mine?

I'm not totally torn up about it, but it did get me thinking. I've always had an almost insatiable need for approval - from anyone. Knowing someone doesn't like me or has criticized me is very difficult. Could this need have roots in being a middle child? I never felt overlooked by my parents growing up, is it possible to have middle child syndrome in middle age? And how do I deal with it?

Thank you for your feedback!