Andrew has a genuine merriment.
We were at the story time at the library doing a group hand movement activity that Andrew found particularly amusing and he let loose with a joyful laugh that caused others in the room to turn and smile, and the librarian to stop and smile.
On the flip side, he can easily be crushed in an instant, and reduced to red-faced bawling, at the least disappointment. The art of distraction is a critical remedy and usually works well.
Bethany is often what I would describe as keyed up. The bouncing off the walls that some describe from a sugar high, seems to come naturally to her. If we could harness that tremendous energy, we could probably take our house off the grid…and live a much less stressful life to boot.
When you couple her trait with a broad curiosity, a dogged determination and “the attitude” (one of the gifts from daycare socializing)…then Welcome To Bethany World!
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I often say that the same personality/behavior that drives us crazy, will likely be a great asset to her, throughout her life. So even though the tendency is for us to clamp down on that conduct, tempering and channeling is instead the “goal”.