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Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Life Lesson for my Little Men #34

So James and Andrew are about 21 months old.  The saying goes something like "Time flies when you are having fun..." truthfully, I think time flies regardless of the level of fun one is having.  Being the father of twin boys, time seems to have hit the accelerator of late...it seems each day, I come home and we have learned a new word, taken up colouring or found a way to turn ordinary kleenex into confetti.  It is truly awe inspiring, but also just a little bit frightening.

See 21 months ago, we were spending time in the hospital with a million and one questions about what was next.  And while we were certainly preoccupied with the near future and the health of our two little preemies (which seemed to hang by a thread...), my mind would wander to what will the lasting impact be.  Will they always be small? Will they always be behind?  Will there be any lingering health issues? So many questions and no real answer but to be patient and wait.  Now almost two years later, I am happy to say that they have pretty much caught up.  Cognitively, they have picked a great deal of language and are associating one word with another.  For example, they know the difference between Grandpa and Opa but they also know that they are similar in terms of their relationships with the boys.  They are getting bigger and stronger and as you recall from my last post learning how to misbehave and do so with a big smile on their faces.  Over the last little while it has been amazing to see them begin to interact more and recognize the order of things.  Each night, we follow a similar routine, upstairs for pre-bath streaking, bath time, diaper and pyjama wrestling, story time (a new favourite is Llama, Llama Red Pyjama), kisses and I love you(s) and then bed.  If any of these things happen out of order, both James and Andrew will intuitively skip to the next step...we haven't gotten to the point where they will identify the missed step but I am sure that is coming.  Evidently we truly are creatures of habit...and we pick them up at a very young age.

So my little and at times very boisterous young men the lesson from this post is this habit and routine are important structures in our lives.  In many ways, they remove some questions and decisions from the daily deluge of information and choices that we face.  On the other hand, our tendency to desire routine and habit can be detrimental to trying new things or continuing to do damaging things.  As you grow, you will have many opportunities to find the right balance of routine and spontaneity, it is important that you learn to embrace both.  As with many things in life, leaning to one tendency too much will create imbalance and stress and can lead situations where you feel out of your depth.  I am constantly amazed by your ability to learn new things and I am excited to see you grow further.  Right now, everything is learning.  You are learning habits, routines, spontaneity and new knowledge...the doors are wide open...your challenge will be to keep them that way...keep seeking new things...keep curiousity in your heart...keep trying new things...keep an open mind...Life's journey after all is about experiencing as much as you can when you can...and when you can't or need a retreat...that's when you will have routine and habit to help keep it all manageable.  To quote Dr. Seuss "Life is a great balancing act," however it is important to note and remember that where that balance point lies is deeply personal.

Love

Dad