The Details

I have two very different kids. I am sure that most parents say that. I have a little extra leverage to meaning it since my kids aren't biological siblings. Marcus is so attentive to the details in life that it at times gets annoying. He helps to keep his forgetful momma on track which is definitely a bonus. He is also a great cleaner because he knows where everything belongs and he does everything he can to keep it in its place. On the downside, we can't leave the house unless he has all the dog toys lined up on the floor in the exact same order every time. Seriously, I am not making this up. Nor can we eat dinner if one of the cupboards is slightly ajar. I just can't get anything by him. This morning he finished his breakfast and asked for pancakes. I said we were all out because I really didn't want to take the time to cook up some pancakes. I wasn't lying. We really were all out of pancakes, just not pancake mix. Marcus was on top of it. He told me we weren't all out. There was more in the pantry.

Then there's Will. He has no sense of details. He lives his life separate from the clutter of life around him. It can be quite frustrating when I tell him to get something that is always in the same spot and he has no idea where that item could be. This quality about him also makes him quite adaptable to change, experiencing new places and new people. However teaching him the details of a simple routine - like washing his hands - is very frustrating. He is spontaneous and fun... and easy to fool, which is a nice feature to be able to use while parenting.

Take the other day when we were at Target. My kids love toothbrushes. They are so much fun with bright colors and different characters on them. I decided to give them some new toothbrushes in their stockings at Christmas. I really didn't want to have to make an extra trip to Target. Marcus was in school so it was just Will and me. We headed to the toothbrush aisle. Will was excited and fascinated as usual. I spotted two toothbrushes that I felt were ideal. Then I did the old, "Hey Will! Look at that!" He looked. I grabbed the toothbrushes and put them in the cart. That never would have worked with Marcus.

Yesterday I was eating lunch out with my mom and the kids. The manager stopped by our table to see how we were doing and he asked Marcus if he was paying for lunch. Marcus said, "I don't think so!" When the check came I asked Marcus to pay. He got into my purse, took out my wallet, flipped through all the inserts, and went right for the secret place I hide my credit card. Where did he learn that?? That kid just doesn't miss a thing. That makes me worried. At least my credit cards are safe from Will, for a few years.