Puzzles

As I was cleaning up Leo's room, I found his old wooden puzzles.  I have no idea why I have kept them for the past four years but they did bring back sweet memories.  Leo loved those puzzles and still loves puzzles.  Then it hit me like a ton of bricks, Leo played with these puzzles when he was a baby and could at least try to do most of the 3-piece peg puzzles by himself at a year old.  Nora is 13 months old and has never even seen a puzzle before.  I felt like the worst mother ever.

Am I the reason there is such a difference between Leo and Nora?  I had never really questioned this before.  Leo and Nora's personalities are very different.  Leo as a baby was very laid back.  I taught at two different preschool programs and Leo attended both while I worked.   Literally, he was at a different preschool every other day.  He never once cried for me when I dropped him off.  Nora, however, was a different story.  If I walk out of the room she would burst into tears.  I couldn't leave her with anyone for months, including her own dad, because she would cry the entire time(thankfully, she has now out grown this stage).  There are other differences too.  Leo never met a stranger and Nora was terrified of new faces.  Leo crawled on his belly like a snake and Nora sits on her bottom and pulls herself the her arms and legs.  At 13 months Leo skipped walking and went straight to running but Nora has just starting to cruise around the furniture with no desire to walk by herself. 

I never really considered the fact that I treat them differently.  Leo was my only concern when he was younger.  I felt sense of pride every time he took a step or learned a new word.  I feel that same sense of pride with Nora but it's not a new feeling.  I now have two children to take care of.  I almost forget to let Nora do things on her own.  It's just easier to do it for her or help her along.  Am I the one holding Nora back?  Honestly the answer is probably yes and no.  I try to remind myself not to compare Leo and Nora.  Nora is her own person and definitely does her own thing in her own time.   The differences are fun and in some ways I feel like a new mom taking care of Nora.  This must be the difference between the first and second baby.  With Leo I was scared of everything and was worried that not reading a book every night would hurt his future academic career.  With Nora I have relaxed a bit, although I do still worry about most everything.  I know I can be a good mom and I'm concerned less about damaging her future and more about having fun with her. 

New Year's resolution #2 - get out the wooden puzzles and let Nora have fun!