Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Oh, he's in for some torture.

I've mentioned before that my children might be polar opposites. Not only do they have different food preferences and completely varied abilities (like, the fact that she's kind of a klutz who talks a blue streak and he's a hyper-coordinated near mute), but it is becoming clear that they may also be extroverted (her) and introverted (him).

Last Thanksgiving at Aaron's parents' house, Ben was a complete nightmare. Didn't eat right, sleep enough, or play independently for more than 5 minutes at any point during the 4 day weekend. He spent the rest of that time clinging to Aaron's leg and whining.

I was hoping this year would be better, since we would be at our own house. And it was. He slept normally, and even napped pretty well.

But everything else was pretty much the same. Less whining and clinging, maybe, and he was glued to me as much as Aaron this time. But still, not a pretty sight. Of course, there were 18 extra people in the house, and even the smallest of them was still 3 times his size. And they all enjoyed watching his every move. So I can't really blame him for the spazzing. But it has taken until today - a full two days after the last relative departed!- for him to return to normal.

It's just that Leah is so different. In a group like that, she sparkles. Jabbers away, laughs, poses for photos, generally behaves like a complete social butterfly. If you've met me in person, you may have a small clue of where she gets this.

Her father, on the other hand, is an introvert. I am an extrovert. This has been a constant issue in our relationship, and now I'm afraid that Ben will also inherit that battle. Lucky him.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Looks like you guys have little copies of each other too. :) I can sympathize with Ben. I don't like large groups of people either. Leah sounds like a little cutie. It must be fun to have a little social butterfly to charm everyone. :)

Noel said...

Besides the Big Thanksgiving Gathering, Black Friday Shopping also is a strike against this holiday on the introvert's scorecard.