Comparing

Lately I find myself comparing my daughters. It's hard not to.

Kylie is easy-going, sweet natured and up for anything. She will try anything once and has no fear. She excels at pretty much anything she tries.

Sophie, on the other hand, is more difficult. She is sweet, but she doesn't like to try new things. She prefers to be coddled and held. She has no interest in soccer, Chinese dance, Brownies or anything else. She takes piano, grudingly (see previous post) but doesn't seem to enjoy it. She seems to like gymnastics, but she tried out for the team and did not make it. I felt terrible for her. Most of the other kids in her class who tried out made the team.

I know I shouldn't compare, but I do. I want Sophie to be passionate about something, and right now she's not. I don't want to force her to do something she doesn't like. When I was a little older than Sophie's age my parents forced me to take soccer. I HATED soccer. Hated it so much that I would pray for rain so the games would be cancelled. My mom said she thought I would be good at soccer because I was fast. Ha. 30+ years later I still recall how sick to my stomach I would get before practices and games. I won't put Sophie through that.

Sophie will tell you in no uncertain terms how she is feeling. If she doesn't like something she won't hesitate to state her opinion. She is good at drawing but doesn't like to write. She has a wild imagination and a wicked sense of humor. She likes to stay up late and sleep late. She is afraid to sleep by herself and wants us to sleep with our arms wrapped around her.

Kylie is more reserved. She gets stressed if she makes mistakes. She is tender-hearted. The other day when she got off the school bus she looked upset. I asked her what was wrong and she burst into tears. She said that at school they learned about cancer and watched a video about it. She said that she felt so bad for people who had cancer. It was heartbreaking to listen to her cry. I finally calmed her down.