Other People's Kids

When I am around other people's kids who are older than mine, I am always assessing. Will my kids be like that? How will I handle this age? And sometimes, how can I keep my kids from being like that?

I remember having some friends over when Will was tiny and they had a 10-month-old. He just banged and banged and banged on the coffee table. It was a very loud activity, and he couldn't talk yet, and it just seemed like a very frustrating age for both child and parent. "Not an age to look forward to", I thought. But when Will was 10 months, I remember enjoying him more than ever before, and the same is true of little Soph now.

So whenever Cousin Zoe comes to visit, I am interested to see what she is like and what she is doing. Since she's just over three months older than Sophie, she's always a little ahead and I feel like I am getting a glimpse of our own future. Luckily, Zoe is, and has always been, an incredibly sweet and good-natured child, so I've never had second thoughts about continuing with Sophie's parenting. Her most recent visit was no exception. I was impressed that she is starting to use eating utensils, walk and talk a little, and can (and did) climb in and out of the Cozy Coupe over and over with increasing dexterity. So I guess that's where we're headed. And thanks to Zoe's good nature (no pressure, Zoe), I think I'm going to keep Sophie a little longer.