Parents.. with different treatment

Glass child

The Glass Child

Xander sat at the edge of the playground, his feet tapping against the bench. He could hear the distant laughter of his younger brother, Xavier, and the soft coos of baby Victoria, cradled in their mom's arms. The world around him moved like a whirlwind—fast, loud, and dizzying—but he felt apart from it, like watching life through a glass window.

Xander was different. Not in a bad way, but in a way that made him feel invisible. He knew his parents loved him—he could see it in the way his dad, Colby, would ruffle his hair and tell him how smart he was, or the way his mom, Valerie, would smile at him, tired but gentle. But most days, their attention seemed pulled toward Xavier, who always demanded the spotlight with his endless energy, and Victoria, whose tiny hands and big eyes made everyone's hearts melt.

Xander didn't mind, not really. He understood that Xavier needed attention too, and that baby Victoria was still small and helpless. But there were times when the glass around him felt too thick, too strong, making him feel like no one could see him at all.

At school, things were hard. His ADHD made focusing on one thing impossible. His teachers tried to help, but their voices always sounded far away, like an echo he couldn't quite grasp. And then there was the frustration of knowing that even when he did try his best, it often wasn't enough. He would fidget, his body restless, his mind wandering off before he could even catch up to the lesson.

When Xander came home, it was more of the same. Xavier would race through the door, drawing all the attention, while Xander quietly slipped past. He had learned to be careful, to not need too much, to not ask for more than what was given. The glass child.

But tonight, something shifted.

As they sat at the dinner table, Xander could feel the usual chaos swirling around him. Victoria banged her spoon on the highchair, Xavier was talking a mile a minute, and his parents were trying to keep up with it all. Xander picked at his food, staring down at the peas that rolled across his plate.

"Xander?" His mom's voice was soft, cutting through the noise.

He looked up, surprised. She was looking right at him, really looking. Her eyes weren't tired this time; they were full of something else. Concern. Love.

"How was your day, buddy?" Colby asked, turning his attention away from Xavier for the first time in what felt like forever.

Xander blinked, unsure how to respond. He was so used to being overlooked, he wasn't sure what to do with the attention now that he had it. His heart sped up, but he found his voice.

"It was...okay," he said quietly, his fingers still playing with his food.

Colby leaned in, his eyes warm and focused. "Just okay? You can tell us more, you know. We're listening."

And they were. Valerie and Colby waited, patient and open, as if they finally saw him, truly saw him, through the glass.

Xander swallowed the lump in his throat. "It's just...sometimes it's hard. At school. And...at home too." The words were shaky, but they were out there now, hanging in the air.

For a moment, the room was still. Then, Valerie reached over and gently placed her hand on his. "I'm sorry, Xander. We haven't been paying as much attention as we should, have we?"

Xander shrugged. "It's okay..."

"No," Colby interrupted softly, "it's not. You're important, too."

The glass around Xander started to crack, the invisible walls he had built beginning to shatter under their gaze. For the first time in a long while, he felt seen—not as someone who had to hold it all together, not as someone overlooked—but as Xander. Just Xander.

He wasn't just the glass child anymore. He was their child, loved and noticed. And tonight, for the first time, that felt like enough.