Little boys

My friends ask me if there is a difference in raising boys and girls, since I have one of each. I just laugh. My kids have such different personalities, at this point it's hard to tell what I can blame on gender.

But there is no doubt that Nathaniel is my son. He may look like the hubby, but he acts so much like me. I'm sure my mom just laughs at me from heaven some days.

Yesterday afternoon he announced for the second time that he has a headache. "Mommy, I still have headache. A snack would help my headache go away." As he said it his voice got higher, like a question that I needed to answer.

"Oh really," I said. "What kind of snack would make your headache go away?"

"Um... a... LOLLIPOP!"

Now that's some thinking. Of course he needs to learn to stick to his guns, because I had him negotiated down to yogurt in about 30 seconds.

He is also my emotional one. A boo-boo can be cause for much wailing and whimpering. It's probably my fault since I was a nervous first-time mom. Now I'm over it. Too bad he's not.

He is very cautious and won't do anything he isn't comfortable with. Instead of introducing something new 2 or 3 times, it takes him 8. It took me the whole summer last year to get him to stand in 3 inches of water in his baby pool. Now I have to drag him out of water kicking and screaming. But he may be in middle school before I can get him to sit still for the dentist.

He is also my cuddler, not just when he is sick. If he is tired or out of sorts, he wants to sit on my lap. Now that he's 3 1/2 and starting preschool in a few weeks, I am definitely okay with that. It may not last much longer.