It has been quite a week. I have spent a great deal of time on an essay paper for my English class, and it nearly kicked my butt! This meant, though, that I spent a good amount of time this week just observing and not participating. Sometimes people need something to come along and slow them down. I am one of those people. I have noticed my children this week. What I mean is instead of just going with the flow, I have sat back and just observed them. We'll start with the oldest.
Erin has matured quite a bit this past year. I am beginning to see a little lady emerge. She has this new sense of calmness about her sometimes. She wants to be the second "mommy" in our house. She coddles Caleb and corrects Nate. She has even started doing laundry, without being asked! I nearly fainted! I was so excited, I bought her a new Webkinz; we made a special trip just to buy one. The reality was, though, all she did was put the wet stuff in the dryer because I had been sick all day. I didn't care; for a 9 year old, I was beside myself with giddy. That cemented that deal for her. Erin has the laundry in the dryer now before I realize the washer has stopped. I think she's secretly hoping to get another Webkinz soon.
It's hard sometimes to watch her, though. She acts just like me. When she gets mad, she acts like me. When she's sad, she acts like me. I know how hard life can be when you are a sensitive soul. Plus, as if I'm not already ashamed of my foolish behavior, I have to explain to my child why MY behavior is unacceptable. I can't correct her behavior, because she so innocently points out, that's what I do when I'm mad. (If only they made blinders for children, I'd invest in three sets! They could be called "Not As I Do-ers".) It's like looking in a behavior mirror! I have learned to breathe before I react.
Then there's Nate. Nate is his own little personality. He wants so desperately to be Erin's best friend. And she wants so desperately for him to "go away." Nate's too big for Caleb's toys. He's too little to play with Erin's, not to mention her's are all girl toys. My heart aches for him; the middle is such a hard place to be. I've been the middle child! Does that stop Nate? No. He likes Barbies. If you ask him, his favorite color is red. But don't stop there. Ask him what other color he like. His answer--pink. This doesn't particularly make Daddy happy. Oh, and when I paint my and Erin's nails, Nate waits patiently in line, watching very intently. He doesn't seem to understand why I won't paint his nails. I'd rather not give Daddy a stroke. If it were up to me alone, I'd paint his nails with some clear polish. After all, haven't you heard of a metrosexual?!
Well, for all the testosterone Nate is short, Caleb makes up for it. He is a man's man. He seems to teem with maleness. At the tender age of two, Caleb has mastered the art of play-fighting. He prefers to watch football. And action movies. He likes anything with wheels and nothing with long, plastic legs. (Buzz Lightyear has short stumpy legs, excluding him from this category.) When he falls down, Caleb stands back up, says "Ow," brushes off, and goes about his way. Sometimes he skips the brushing off step. (Nate will scream for 30 minutes.) Best of all, though, Caleb has figured out in his short two years that men show affection with horseplay. I feel for those girls who are the objects of his first crushes; I hope they are the athletic type!
But for all their differences, they all share one thing. My kids are sweet. They will share their things and are concerned for others. They love passionately and feel deeply. They will protect and defend each other to the end, but that's part of being siblings, I'm told. To me, though, my kids are pretty special!
I look forward to seeing who they become. I somehow feel I have really only begun to know who they are.
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