Kate, 2 1/2, is our cautious, feet-on-the-ground, stay-away-from-the-edge kind of gal. She's scared of bugs, scared of spiders, scared of cats, scared of water in her face, scared of dogs, scared of running too fast, scared of just about everything other than chatting amiably with adults. A few weeks ago some friends went out of town and asked us to watch their two youngest children for a few days. When we got out the wading pool, Kate's buddy Cade (who was born the day before Kate) tried to teach Kate how to do a belly flop into the wading pool:
Even after that fine example, this was as daring an attempt as Kate could muster:
Davis, on the other hand, throws caution to the wind and seems completely ignorant of sharp corners and dangerous stairs, likes jumping off things (whether or not someone is there to catch him), climbing, hanging, swinging and bashing. He usually leads with his head, which means that when he's headed in a direction that's not particularly safe, he ends up with scratches, bumps and bruises on his head and face. Since he has almost no hair to hide the bumps, he's always sporting some head wound. He loves dogs, big and small, and tries to ride them whenever possible. He loves to hang from things (and his dad has developed a bad habit of having him grab on to objects dangerously high above the ground and then stepping away to let him hang and demonstrate his strength).
Last Christmas, we bought a rechargeable ATV for Kate and wisely decided to go with Kawasaki green rather than Barbie pink (on the theory that it would be used by both Kate and Davis). Kate, at 2 1/2, still can't do anything but drive straight into walls and flowerbeds. Turning is not an option. We put Davis on the back when she was driving it a few months ago and he loved it (see Daddy in Charge below). A few weeks later he'd figured out how to climb on and how to press the button and drive. Now he's trying to work out an Evel Knievel routine:
Last Christmas, we bought a rechargeable ATV for Kate and wisely decided to go with Kawasaki green rather than Barbie pink (on the theory that it would be used by both Kate and Davis). Kate, at 2 1/2, still can't do anything but drive straight into walls and flowerbeds. Turning is not an option. We put Davis on the back when she was driving it a few months ago and he loved it (see Daddy in Charge below). A few weeks later he'd figured out how to climb on and how to press the button and drive. Now he's trying to work out an Evel Knievel routine:
It would be nice if we could convince Kate to act as her brother's protector and occasional nurse as Davis grows and takes on more treacherous hobbies. But something tells me Kate is going to be afraid of the sight of blood.
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