Saturday, July 07, 2007

Differences

My sons were born 19 months apart. When Adam was born, he weighed a pound and a half more than Josh when he was born and quickly caught up with his brother. They even wore the same size diapers for a while. That's when I knew it was time to potty train Josh! Now Adam outweighs Josh by a few pounds and they are almost the same height. Over the years I have had lots of people ask me if they are twins. I guess it's because they are so close in size because they don't really look that much alike. And, in fact, they couldn't be more different. Josh tends to be more serious where Adam is silly through and through. Adam loves anything artistic but Josh willingly admits that he doesn't even like to color. Josh has this crazy, cow-licked hair that sticks up all over the place if it's not cut short. Adam has fine, smooth hair that never looks messy. Josh loves to sit on my lap and snuggle or have his back scratched. Adam has to be asked for every hug he gives. Adam likes everything vanilla. Josh prefers chocolate. But one of the biggest differences between the two is that Josh talks to everyone and has never met a stranger where Adam is very shy around people. Even those he knows well. I was reminded of this on Friday when we went to "Fun Friday" at church. It was a bike riding day and both boys were very excited. Adam has just started riding without training wheels so ended up on the ground pretty regularly. (9 times to be exact. He counted.) But there were lots of people around, so even when I knew he was hurt, he wouldn't make a sound. That would draw attention to him, and he hates that. So he'd just get himself up and dust off or lie there with his shoe stuck under the bike until someone rescued him. I can guarantee that if the same thing would have happened to Josh, everyone would have known it including the neighbors. I'm pretty sure that he thinks, "The more attention the better." So my Adam ended up with scraped knees, but no one knew. Heaven forbid that he would actually cry in front of people. And he only said a handful of words the whole morning. But believe me, he made up for it later when it was just us. He always does.

2 comments:

Katrina said...

It's always amazing to watch two (or more) children grow up in the same household, with the same toys and the same parents, doing the same things--and to see them turn into two totally unique and amazing people with their own feelings, opinions, preferences, and personalities. What a gift it is to be able to appreciate these differences and love each one for what is uniquely theirs! Even those things that are hindrances or setbacks in the eyes of the world take on their own sweetness as they manifest in your beloved child.

Loved this post!

Ada said...

I also loved this post. I know these boys well and it amazes me how different they are. The dynamics of siblings is incredible. You could do the same blog about us and how different we are. But hopefully they, like us, will grow up to be best friends. There is nothing like a connection of a sister...or a brother for that matter.