The Kids Keep Coming...
My friends Jim and Melissa just had their second child, a girl named Reeve. My wife and I are expecting a second child of our own in June.
There are many things I am looking forward to (and a few I'm dreading) with the second child, among them being able to see how two children who come from the same genetic pool can be different in many ways. Our son Linus is extremely reserved, especially around other people besides his parents or grandparents. He tends to play by himself, tends not to speak up too much at all, and prefers to sit and work quietly on a puzzle. That is, unless he's running around screaming like a nut. But mostly, he's quiet. My expectation would be that a second child would be the same. Why wouldn't it be?
Well, because that's just not how it works sometimes. At some point, I think it's natural to look at your child and wonder what they got from their mother or father; a second child not only puts you through that experience again, but it offers a contrast to the first child. Should be interesting.
We spent the last few days with friends from Kansas; they have a son that is about 9 months younger than Linus. He is a fiercely independent sort, and has some definite ideas about what he will and won't do. Basically, he has a real short fuse, and when his mood goes bad, it happens quickly, loudly and obstinately. I think our friends are just trying to get through it until he moves out of this phase, and are possibly a bit bewildered about where their child got this temper; they are both pretty laid-back people. Linus never went through a phase like that, but that's not to say that our next child won't.
I thought it would, but having children has done nothing to give me additional insight into the Nature vs. Nurture discussion.
12:26:58 PM 
|
|
