Lately I have been struck by how different my kids are. I realize this is not exactly a profound thought, and actually kind of an obvious one. So let me explain.
When I was growing up, I always thought it would be perfect to have a husband, then a boy child, and a girl as the little sister. We’d live in a small house with a small yard and a window above the kitchen sink so I could watch as my strong husband lovingly tossed my kids in the air while I prepared dinner with one meat, one cooked vegetable, and a small salad to start off. Another unprofound and somewhat generic thought.
Fast forward 30 years, which is 10 years later than I thought I’d get started. I do have a super husband, but my daughter was born first. I then wanted another daughter because I wanted her to have a sister and share the bonds that I have with my own sisters. Then her brother showed up. Where my daughter has always been obsessed with “her shows,” he could care less when the TV is on. She enjoys music; he is passionate about it. They both love hair bows and chapstick, much to my husband’s dismay, but other than that, they are not very similar.
Yet there’s something about the interaction that makes them the perfect complement to each other. I’d wanted a big brother to look out for little sis, and my daughter does that perfectly. She’s athletic, he is bumbly and cute. She is sweet and patient; he is impatient and temperamental. Even as I type this (at 5:30 am), he is up there howling and crabby because he wants to get up, and when he accidentally wakes her, she’ll tell him how sweet he is. (Not exactly my response, I’m embarrassed to say.) She plays hard but in an ordered way; his play often ends up looking like a crime scene. She loves to have rules and follow them; he is all over the map and blatantly mischievous. As a baby, she was cautious and a little prickly; he is 150% in your face and very snuggly and cuddly. How could both of these people come from the same parents?
With all of that said…at the end of the day, even through their differences, they both adore each other, and they both love to have fun…what else is there, really?
