Bragging about David

Two incidents happened today that convinced me that not only is Josiah a genius, but so is David!!! OK, I know I'm using the term "genius" a little loosely; but a mother has that right, agreed? :)

One of the incidents occurred at the end of music class (which I referred to in my last post). David was the last child to get a chance to play the drum (not pictured--in this picture, he's playing the resonator bells, in case you didn't know what they are really called!) as everyone sang the goodbye song. He did such a good job of keeping a steady beat; it was amazing!!! And all during the class, he was so quick to imitate and do what the teacher and the other participants were doing--so happy to be involved--so eager to go get rhythm sticks that the teacher was passing out or return the scarf he had used during a song--so cute as he tried to march or hop or do other actions. I was smitten with pride!

Earlier today, we were at the library for story time; and again, he participated so happily, cheerfully, and obediently. After the stories, the children got an opportunity to draw on a piece of paper that will be hung in the lobby of the library next week in honor of National Library Week. There were pens, finger paint, markers, etc.--all kinds of art supplies. David was delighted to hold a blue marker and draw circles--that's right, circles. Is it normal for a child (especially a boy) who is one week shy of his second birthday to be able to draw a real circle??? The librarian was impressed by him! And impressed by his left-handedness. Hey, maybe that's why he's so talented--he's a lefty! :)

Anyway, I have kept my mouth shut (mostly) about these accomplishments today because I didn't want Josiah to feel jealous or less-accomplished. Of course, I told David good job and all that good stuff; but I didn't go on and on about it because I know one of the keys to avoid sibling rivalry is not to heap tons of praise on one child to the detriment of the other child. And knowing Josiah's nature, I know he would probably feel the need to draw attention to himself in some way if he felt like too much attention was being focused on David. So I certainly complimented David but didn't overflow with what I was feeling until I started writing here. In this blog, I can say what I really think; and that is that David is an extraordinary child and such a delight! I'm so proud of him!!!

(As I read back over this, it sounds like I'm perhaps bending over backwards to protect Josiah's self-esteem, maybe more than I should. I don't actually think I am in real life. I know that it's important for him to learn the lesson that the world doesn't revolve around him and that he isn't and doesn't need to be the best in everything. So he did hear me speak highly of David, for sure; I just didn't gush repeatedly about it all as I talked to Jeff or my parents later in the day. This brings up another topic: being "fair" with your kids. To what extent do you try to be fair? When dividing possessions? When dividing time? When giving affirmation? When giving privileges? I know it's impossible to be completely fair all the time; and in fact, it's not necessary. But I also don't want to treat my boys unfairly--in a harmful way. Oh, well, that's too much for my brain to figure out tonight! I'll save it for later...)