Chalk and Cheese 5

Change bugs everyone. I get stressed by domestic change. Packrat gets stressed by professional change. Naturally, our children react to change too. All children do. But the way, they respond differently to it.

Evan

Hates change. He's weepy, clingy and whiny. He will show very clearly that he is dreading it and will remember to dread it for days after. In 3 years, they have gone to three different schools. And it's always him at the beginning that is crying buckets, sometimes to the point of throwing up.

But that's just him. He hates new things. New foods, environments and most especially, the new Duck Duck we tried to give him as a stand in for his old one while the old one took an occasional shower. Once he gets over it, it's fine. The road to him getting there often has got to do with me talking him down or distracting him by 'high fiving' him. We have a ritual every morning before I leave for work where he 'high fives' me , 'low fives' me and then subsequently 'baby fiving' me.

I have heard however, that he is blossoming into a responsible little boy who knows how to look out for his big sister who is dreamy and slightly Luna Lovegood-ish.
























Jordan

On the surface, this little girl is fearless. She doesn't tremble at new experiences and has walked into new classrooms and owned the class. She is curious and she likes and is excited by new things. The only thing that will hold her back is her brother's tears. She sees her brother get attention for his tears and she thinks she deserves the same attention. She feeds off his insecurities.

But on her own, I suspect she loves the challenge. She's not very outgoing at first because she's watching and figuring things out. But she doesn't resist it. Perhaps, her Luna-Lovegood dreaminess helps because she is only aware of what she wants to be aware of and that sort of helps her deal with new things bit by bit.
























I am obviously not a Tiger Mom because right now, my kids are at a sleepover at Grandma's. When we left they were still bouncing off walls because they had so many cousins there and the potential for fun was endless. Jordan didn't blink when she said goodbye. Evan needed a bit more cuddling and assurances that we would be back for them and that they were in for a whale of a time.


















It's the journey for them that's different because at the end of the day, Evan has a ball as well. It's just that he is tentative at the beginning where as Jordan dives head in. In different situations, those characteristics are both good and bad.

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