I’ve been doing a little experiment for the past ten days because I started noticing a subtle difference in my boys and I’m not sure if it’s indicative of their ages or their personalities or both (spoiler: I’m leaning towards both, with a heavy emphasis on their personalities).
During my last Costco outing I purchased a large box of fruit leathers, or fruit strips as my boys call them. Copying my friend, Tracey, I’ve taken them out of the box and put them in a cup in our cupboard so when the boys want one, I grab a handful from the cup and fan them out in front of them like a deck of cards, letting them pick which flavor they want.
Without fail, when I stick one out further than the rest, Liam will always pick that one, no matter what the flavor. Jack, on the other hand, will always choose his own, never picking the one that is stuck out closest to him. And I’m not sure why exactly this is, if Liam’s just at an age where he’s more suggestable and prone to “peer” pressure and Jack’s still working on his independence OR if it is purely indicative of their personalities. I think it’s a little of both, but more personality-driven than anything. Both my boys are certainly stubborn (have NO idea where they get that from) but Liam has always been one who can be steered in a certain direction as long as he doesn’t realize that he’s being manipulated. Jack will always go his own way and has never taken redirection, he’s stubborn through and through, enough for five more children.
I’ve been thinking about that, trying to figure out what this might mean for them as they go through life. Liam has a good head on his shoulders but I worry that he won’t be able to discern when someone doesn’t have his best interests in mind and he will end up doing things because others are doing them, not realizing until it is too late that he’s doing the wrong thing or has made a bad decision. He does not stew over questions and will quickly answer, “I don’t know” if asked a question he doesn’t readily know the answer to; of course he has to stop talking first in order to hear the question being asked. He’s our little social butterfly who loves to explain things to others and soaks up information like a sponge, able to repeat whole books and tidbits of information that he’s gleaned from our reading books to him and his Tag Reader. He’s slightly easier to parent because he will be redirected and usually makes the choice you want him to if you guide him in that direction. Jack goes his own way, rarely one to bow to pressure from those around him, even when they are doing the right thing. I’ve already mentioned in earlier posts that I think his personality is key to helping him deal with his limb difference later in life. But I think it’s also going to make it hard to him to realize when he’s wrong and be able to admit it. But I’m glad he’s decisive and knows what he wants, when he wants it, I don’t feel like I’ll ever have to worry about him bowing to peer pressure, instead I’ll have to make sure he’s setting a good example for others and leading the way down the right path.
Just goes to show you, two boys with the same parents can be completely different, if even in a small way that makes a huge impact on both of their lives.
That photo has nothing to do with this post but it expresses my utter glee in getting my new smart phone replacement in the mail. Doesn’t Jack make a cute Warhol?
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