If you have more than one child, you know how different they can be from each other! What works with one child may not work with another. This is because of the fact that no two children are the same!
My two older children are just two years apart. My daughter is nine and my son is six, and they look very alike - their hair, eyes and voices are so similar. But their personalities are completely opposite!
For example, my little girl is very disorganized. Her teachers say it is lucky she is so smart, for she is forever misplacing work and having to do it over from memory. Her room is always a mess and she runs from one thing to the next without finishing her projects. If we have company coming in an hour, I have to tell her:
“Go to your room and clean it just right. I want everything done exactly right, so take your time! Pick up every thing you can see and organize your desk with your art supplies. Put on clean clothes, and brush your hair and teeth. Now, here is a list of all the things I just told you, and they should take at least an hour to get done. If you finish before an hour is up, you need to go back and see what still needs more work!”
My son is so serious compared to her; he will take his time on everything, including getting dressed, and can sit and work on coloring a picture for hours. I had to learn that he often only needs to be told to do something once, where I have to remind my daughter ten times! His instructions were very different:
“I want you to go do a very quick pick up on your room, and don’t worry about the closet if it isn’t perfect. Brush your teeth and get dressed really fast. We only have an hour, so you will have to hurry! Do you remember the three things I just told you to do?”
An hour later, my daughter’s room and appearance passed muster, and my son was ready for company. I just had to tell them almost the exact opposite type of directions to get the same result out of each one!
Remember that your children can be different in the way they think and react, and use the correct approach with each one. Every personality needs the right touch!
