I hope the title doesn't sound like I'm making this as some sort of match or race between Robbie and Patrick. What I mean with the "vs", is the difference, as in how one learns versus the other one.
It's very different.
Ever since Patrick was a baby, I could tell that he was very passive compared to other kids. Patrick would happily spend long periods of time sitting on my lap without any desire of going anywhere else. Sometimes I would sit him on my bed, with a few toys around him, while I was getting dressed or cleaning the bedroom, and he wouldn't move from there. I remember when I went to Mexico to visit my family (Patrick was 1 year old) I was feeding him a snack, and he was sitting on a table. I left him there for few seconds to grab a napkin and when my mom saw us she got upset, because she thought Patrick could fall off and get hurt. But I knew Patrick wasn't going anywhere. He just wouldn't make any effort to go anywhere.
We had to teach Patrick how to roll, how to stand up, how to reach for objects, how to crawl, how to walk. Any other parents would say, well, I taught those things to my healthy kid, too, but the thing is, we had to push him, a lot, really a lot, well beyond the milestone mark, until he finally did each of them. We taught him how to eat, how to drink from a straw or sippy cup, and how to everything I can think of.
Robbie on the other hand, couldn't be left alone more than one second on a couch or bed, let alone on a table. At 6 months of age, he moved, and moved fast. As a baby, he didn't like to spend more than a couple minutes on my lap, and while he was on my lap, he was usually looking for something to grab, or simply just trying to climb to the top of my head. Robbie started to roll over just shy of 4 months of age, he was crawling at 6 1/2 months and walking by the time he was 11 months. I remember the day when I went to pick him up from his crib and there he was, standing up! He is talking up the storm now, and is even saying long sentences that Patrick, being 2 years older, can't still put together.
But what is most interesting about this, is not the fact that Robbie learned these things quick, but the fact that I didn't have to teach Robbie any of this. It's amazing how these things are so natural for human beings, at least, for most of us. Robbie had the curiosity to reach for things, and he figured out how to reach them, without waiting for someone to teach him that he could do it. It's in his nature.
I knew Patrick was more "calm" than our friends' kids, but it was only until I had a healthy baby 24/7 that I realized the huge difference in the process of learning between Patrick and most healthy kids.
This used to make me worry, because I know I'm not always going to be around to teach Patrick how to do things. As he grows, he is getting better at coming up with solutions and ideas on his own, however this process is going slow.
On the bright side, he is now more able to do certain things because of his interest to imitate. When someone is doing something totally new (and exciting) to him, he will just observe, carefully, and then he will imitate or at least try. This is how he learned to open gates, doors, pretend to use tools like daddy and pretend to clean like mommy.
Patrick has this eager for doing things that are meaningful and helpful to others. He is particularly interested in performing chores and activities that the adults around him perform - I know my husband can't wait until the boys get a little older and can begin some real yard work! However, while Patrick is a great helper, Robbie has absolutely no desire in helping us with basic things around the house, even though he has the ability to do it. Funny how things work!
I hope Patrick is able to find people that are willing to be patient with him along the way. I hope he meets friends and teachers that will be able to see that even though he struggles at coordinating his smart brain with his uncoordinated body, he is a nice guy who is always happy to help you in any way he can.
It's very different.
Ever since Patrick was a baby, I could tell that he was very passive compared to other kids. Patrick would happily spend long periods of time sitting on my lap without any desire of going anywhere else. Sometimes I would sit him on my bed, with a few toys around him, while I was getting dressed or cleaning the bedroom, and he wouldn't move from there. I remember when I went to Mexico to visit my family (Patrick was 1 year old) I was feeding him a snack, and he was sitting on a table. I left him there for few seconds to grab a napkin and when my mom saw us she got upset, because she thought Patrick could fall off and get hurt. But I knew Patrick wasn't going anywhere. He just wouldn't make any effort to go anywhere.
We had to teach Patrick how to roll, how to stand up, how to reach for objects, how to crawl, how to walk. Any other parents would say, well, I taught those things to my healthy kid, too, but the thing is, we had to push him, a lot, really a lot, well beyond the milestone mark, until he finally did each of them. We taught him how to eat, how to drink from a straw or sippy cup, and how to everything I can think of.
Robbie on the other hand, couldn't be left alone more than one second on a couch or bed, let alone on a table. At 6 months of age, he moved, and moved fast. As a baby, he didn't like to spend more than a couple minutes on my lap, and while he was on my lap, he was usually looking for something to grab, or simply just trying to climb to the top of my head. Robbie started to roll over just shy of 4 months of age, he was crawling at 6 1/2 months and walking by the time he was 11 months. I remember the day when I went to pick him up from his crib and there he was, standing up! He is talking up the storm now, and is even saying long sentences that Patrick, being 2 years older, can't still put together.But what is most interesting about this, is not the fact that Robbie learned these things quick, but the fact that I didn't have to teach Robbie any of this. It's amazing how these things are so natural for human beings, at least, for most of us. Robbie had the curiosity to reach for things, and he figured out how to reach them, without waiting for someone to teach him that he could do it. It's in his nature.
I knew Patrick was more "calm" than our friends' kids, but it was only until I had a healthy baby 24/7 that I realized the huge difference in the process of learning between Patrick and most healthy kids.
This used to make me worry, because I know I'm not always going to be around to teach Patrick how to do things. As he grows, he is getting better at coming up with solutions and ideas on his own, however this process is going slow.
On the bright side, he is now more able to do certain things because of his interest to imitate. When someone is doing something totally new (and exciting) to him, he will just observe, carefully, and then he will imitate or at least try. This is how he learned to open gates, doors, pretend to use tools like daddy and pretend to clean like mommy.Patrick has this eager for doing things that are meaningful and helpful to others. He is particularly interested in performing chores and activities that the adults around him perform - I know my husband can't wait until the boys get a little older and can begin some real yard work! However, while Patrick is a great helper, Robbie has absolutely no desire in helping us with basic things around the house, even though he has the ability to do it. Funny how things work!
I hope Patrick is able to find people that are willing to be patient with him along the way. I hope he meets friends and teachers that will be able to see that even though he struggles at coordinating his smart brain with his uncoordinated body, he is a nice guy who is always happy to help you in any way he can.
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