Comparing

I try not to compare my two kids against each other, I have a philosophy that its a dangerous path to travel...

But I've been thinking about the difference between my two children and here's what I thought:

- Archer drank from a bottle from the day he was born. Shelly didn't have a bottle until she was a few months old.

- Archer depended on his pacifier for comfort and never put his fingers in his mouth. Shelly will sometimes chew on a pacifier for a minute or two but then looses interest. She puts her fingers in her mouth when she's upset.

And so, as parents, I think we put a lot of stock in what we're doing and how our kids are turning out. Does giving Archer a bottle from the very beginning make him more inclined to accept the pacifier, and prevent him from sucking his fingers later on? Does not giving Shelly a bottle early-on make her more likely to suck her fingers? Does the thumb sucking carry over to nail-biting? Parents think they can control these things. The differences between my two kids make me realize that I can do my best with both of them but still they're two different people and they'll naturally have their own personalities and preferences. That's why siblings, even twins, aren't the same person. And that's the really fascinating part of watching children grow up!