It's fascinating for me to observe the differences between Max and Laney. It's a (generally) enjoyable process to watch their lives unfold and witness their development as people growing into their own.
Max is especially learning to have a distinct style separate from Laney as opposed to just blindly following his big sister all the time. He loves roller blading. He always asks me to hold his hand as I'm jogging so that he can fly down the street. When he falls he doesn't even cry--he just picks himself up and wants to do it again.
Laney can be a daredevil herself but she's a lot more cautious than Max. Jeff & I took the kids hiking in the Farmdale Reservoir in East Peoria yesterday. It's a mountain biker's dream with great vertical distances and steep hills. We walked up several steps to a scenic point and Jeff challenged the kids to roll down the hill. It looked frightening. Max enthusiastically rolled all the way down...while Laney took one look at the bottom and just couldn't do it.
On the way back, Jeff walked along the staircase railing on a downhill slope. It freaked me out. Max followed suit and I told him to get down but Jeff said, "He's fine. Let him go!" Laney freaked out, too, and yelled, "You better get down from there--you could really hurt yourself!"
It's a wonder that the Lord created genders to be so distinct and meant for us to pair up (in part) to balance the other. It's good to take risks and be brave...but also to be cautious and calculate the safety factor. It's good to engage in physical play but also to nurture our feelings. I have to constantly remind myself in my marriage (especially when I don't feel understood) that men and women really are different and that's not such a bad thing. We just have to honor the way the Lord created us uniquely to understand the other person in hopes of achieving a true partnership.
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