Different from each other.

I've not posted in over a week. I haven't even been anywhere, but I might have been a little distracted by something completely selfish. I'll tell you all about it when I'm ready to own up to it. Im just not there yet. 

Last week our temperatures crept up to a balmy 12C/53F. There were very few clouds and even though the sun didn't stretch up very high from the horizon, we were fooled into believing that spring really was coming. I say "fooled" because the weather that's followed seems positively polar in comparison. 

After our "swimming" episode a couple of weeks back, Levi has been desperate to get out into the garden to go "swimming" again. It had rained, just a bit, and the sun dropped lower than the fence line, but he seemed unwavering in his desire to "swim".  The bath was not acceptable. 

After realising that the cold was unlikely to do him any harm, I capitulated. I put a kettle of boiling water in with the water from the hose to remove the sharp icy edge (which wasn't acting as the deterrent I'd hoped) and let him be. 

For about half an hour while Levi played, Asher just stood in the doorway, looking very confused. He had no desire to even put a foot outside let alone join Levi in the water. I counted my lucky stars that my sweet, baby angel was less of a daredevil. Content with observation. 

What I didn't count on, was the seed that Levi's actions would sow. The next morning, we dressed the kids early for our morning kiddies party and let Bella our pup out for her toileting. I spotted Ash darting out the door behind her, and crossed the kitchen, dropping things in the bin and the sink as I went, to see where he was headed. I watched helplessly as he ignored his name being yelled and put one shoe'd foot over the side of the "pool", immediately followed by the other. He dropped to his bottom with a giggle and happily splashed around for a second, until the icy wet soaked through his pants, his tights, his socks, his top. 

He was unpleased. It wasn't the fun he was expecting. And we were left with no dry shoes for the party. 

Having kids who are so different in the ways the do things from each other makes parenting a challenge. You can't apply the same parenting methods to each and just expect them to work. You cant expect that they will in enjoy the same things. You cant always bank on what you know. Turns out Asher is a little daredevil, in his own, calculated little way. It took half an hour of watching and countless hours past for him to decide he wanted to give it a go, but he still tried it. 

I've learned a lesson about how his little mind works. Another piece of the Asher puzzle. He has surprised me and made me laugh. 

And he has made me realise that we need to get him a second pair of shoes. Just in case.