In many respects, my two boys are not so very different. They have similar builds, similar interests, even similar tastes in food. One way that they have been different since birth, more or less, is that Lego tends to fight the Powers That Be over a lot of inconsequential things, and Duplo just doesn’t.
Lego’s approach: If he was having a hard time nursing, he would absolutely not let me help him. This resulted in him getting hungrier and madder over time, and even more unable to figure it out. So he made me pace while nursing for a couple weeks until he figured it out. Also, for about a year and a half, every change of clothes, every diaper change, every time we put on shoes, whatever, was a battle. Even now, he has to voice his dissension every time I say we’re going to do an errand.
Duplo’s approach: Oh, we’re doing that now? Okay.
He helps me get his clothes on, and thinks getting dressed is fun. He might have had a brief period when he liked to roll over during diaper changes, but it didn’t last long, and it wasn’t even that bad while it lasted. Whether we’re going or staying in, working or playing, he just goes with the flow.
I know that during his terrible twos, power struggles will probably be part of the game, and I’m prepared for it. I think I learned a lot from Lego. At the same time, I don’t imagine that he’ll be as militant about little things all the time as his older brother was. I wonder what this means about both his and Lego’s personalities down the road.
Please note that this isn’t to say that Lego is more difficult to parent than Duplo. Duplo is more difficult in different ways (more destructive, more prone to take dangerous risks, etc.), but this is one way that he’s much easier.
