With Bridgette being our only child for the last 5 years, Alan and I have inevitably analyzed her from all angles. We understand her temperament, her personality as it evolves, and her strengths and weaknesses. Though we are often thrilled to find a bit of ourselves in her, we remind one another that she is her own individual, and we must recognize and accept that.
With a second pre-kindergartener in our house these days, it’s quite interesting to see the noticeable differences between the two girls on a day-to-day basis. We are sometimes caught off guard with the way Brianne reacts to certain situations, as it can be dramatically different than what we’re use to with Bridgette. I suppose this is how it’s like with more than one child–as parents, we have to recognize how each child is different, and accept each of them for who they are. Rather than comparing or judging them, we should celebrate such differences. As Ellen DeGeneres wrote in her book, Seriously…I’m Kidding, it would be incredibly boring if we were all carbon copies of one another.
Brianne and Bridgette may often be misidentified as twins on the outside, but they couldn’t be more different on the inside, and we love both of them for who they are.
Life is so sweet right now, with these two lovable girls in our lives. It’s also extremely exhausting, as I have to work late into the wee hours to clear my schedule during the day to spend time with them, but it’s all worth it. As we spend our days eating ice cream, perusing through farmer’s markets, taking bubble baths, going to theme parks, and lounging around at home, I love that we’re creating precious memories for the girls to hold onto for life. I hope that when they are older, they will reflect back to today with nothing but fondness….
In previous summers, we tried to cram as many fun, fantastic activities into the limited time that we have with Brianne, but this time, we were able to spread things out a bit, since she will have a whole year with us. It felt great to spend days doing absolutely nothing at home while filling up other days with an abundance of fun excursions. No matter where we went, the girls were happy and satisfied with one another’s company. This proves a theory that I’ve had for quite some time….that it’s really the people that matters more than anything else.
Despite the many differences in Brianne and Bridgette, we never have any issues deciding where to go or what to do, because as long as they’re in each other’s company, they’re happy as a clam! 🙂
