When we were pregnant with Arlo it was so fun to guess what he would look like and think about what kind of kid he would be. Then, when we were pregnant with Cohen it was fun to guess how he would be like Arlo and how he would be different. As parents of two or more kids you realize that each child will be different and unique from the other(s), but since each child is born from the same parents you kind of assume that they will have so much in common. Well, since birth our boys have been nothing alike!!! The one common ground that they share is how much they love each other. And let me tell you that they absolutely adore each other, but even though they love each other the same amount, they show their love in different ways... Arlo is the typical older sibling always looking after his brother and making sure he is taken care of and let's not forget every time he has stuck up for his brother when Cohen has gotten in trouble. Where Cohen on the other hand is the typical younger sibling who does EVERYTHING that his older brother does just so he can be like him.
But they started out differently even from the womb. Arlo loves to hear the story how in my belly he was always calm and sweet where Cohen was much more active and was always hitting and kicking me. (Just to add in, my sweet little Lulu is 10 times worse than Cohen and Arlo combined!) Then as babies, their sleeping habits, eating habits, and overall temperaments were all as different as night and day. Which brings me to the present and how different they are as toddler/preschoolers. Arlo's good qualities I believe come from being the cookie cutter first child. He listens (he may not always do what I ask but I know he heard me and understands what I am asking him), he is a great helper, and he is independent (already he likes to make his own toast, pour his own drinks, he is great with chores). And where Arlo is great, Cohen does not do so well for example... Cohen has no idea how to listen. Sounds harsh, but it is true. Cohen is somewhat in lala land most of the time, meaning that he has the best imagination in all of AZ! But, because he is always imagining and playing he never, ever, EVER hears a word I say to him. For example, the other day I put him in time out for hitting his brother. When his time is up he has to come out and tell me why he was in time out and then fix it. Well, he played the entire time in time out and when it came to telling me why he was there he could not do it, even after 5 more times in time out, many hints and Arlo and I both telling him exactly why he was there, he still could not tell me why. Being independent is also not in Cohen's vocabulary. I believe it has something to do with being a mama's boy. But helping, is actually something that Cohen likes to do as long as he is helping me. Things such as helping in the kitchen or cleaning the windows, (jobs that require me being with him) he Loves!!! But if I ask him to go throw something away for me, that is out of the question, unless I go with him and help him.
Now this may sound like I am biased and love Arlo more than Cohen, but that is not correct. As I tell my boys who have begun asking the question "who do you love more, me or Cohen/Arlo?" I explain that I love them both the same amount but I love them differently. And since this post is all about their differences, I would now like to now tell about Cohen's best qualities. Cohen has the best imagination, he is the best snuggler and is quick to forgive and forget, but one of his best qualities is that he is indifferent to what people think about him. He marches to his own drum, for good and for bad and he does things because it is what he likes and not what other people want him to like. And where Cohen succeeds, Arlo could use some work. Especially in the quick to forgive and indifference departments. With Arlo, I could accidentally hit him while getting him in the car and a week later he will remind me not to hit him like I did "that one time". And Arlo could use a lesson in indifference. Arlo is a people pleaser! He wants to make others happy and is always looking for positive approval in all that he does. Definitely not a bad thing, but I hope that as my two boys grow... they both rub off on each other.
To end this post here is a video of my two superheros in action! (It is funny how much of their personalities shine through in this 2 minute video.)
(And yes Cohen did say "I poop on people" at the end of the video, but to defend my boy... he is repeating it from the movie Rio.)
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