Thursday, October 14, 2010

Opposites

Two boys. Came out of the same two sets of genes. But so different. S.E. is mild-mannered and clean. I mean the kid eats clean, plays clean, can go through a rough and tumble play in the woods and come out...well clean. This is the kid you want to get hand-me-downs from. His hands don't get sticky unnecessarily, his blanket and other personal toys are clean and in great shape considering wear and tear. The bottom of his white socks-stays white. And his shoes. No smell. None. Now, the thing about a clean and orderly kid is he is easily grossed out by sticky, itcky, smelly stuff. Enter Koo.

Koo on the other hand, is either happy or sad in a matter of three seconds flat. After he outgrows shirts and pants, they go the garbage pile. Stains. Check. Holes. Check. Unraveling of seams. Check. His place at the table after he's done eating is usually sticky and wet. If we are walking in a field, Koo will find the one poo pile left by dogs and step in it. I've have used sticks, water, soap, and paper towel combination many times to remove caked-on poo underneath shoes. Sometimes, I just give up and chuck the shoes. If there's stuck-on gum anywhere, he'll be digging it up to show me. What I love about him is he does all this and more whole-heartedly. He's more likely to go with the flow.

Two boys. Came out of same belly. Oh, so opposite. Both are the sun and moon for me. Thank goodness for opposites. If I had only one type I would not be as open-minded about how unique and special children are. The best lesson I've witness is tolerance for differences. The boys have had to adjust and accept each other's habits and try to make the best of the situation.

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