Parenthood

Some things are not for the faint of heart. Parenting ranks up there as #1. From the minute you bring a child into the world, you begin to worry. About big things like being kidnapped. About little things like eating healthy. I tend to take it to the extreme and worry about EVERYTHING. I worry about their future as adults, how strong of a Christian they will be as they grow older, the music and TV shows they are exposed to, conversations they overhear, getting enough sleep, fitting in at school/church, their future spouse, not getting enough exercise, being well rounded (so I make sure to fit in enough books and crafts to balance out the sports), being hard workers, what occupation they will choose as adults, even what college they will attend. But my latest worry is something that stems from my childhood. I now worry about people liking E better than P. Adults like P. He has a large vocabulary and loves to talk. He is compassionate and is eager to help because he knows it will please people. However, I have noticed that kids are not overly eager to play with him. He is not the first kid his peer invite to a party or ask to participate in their game. Don't misread this. He gets invited to do things and plays with kids his age. It's just that kids his age tend to gravitate toward E when both of the boys are together. In fact, E has become kind of the school mascot where I teach/he goes to preschool. People at the school LOVES when he walks into the room. The ironic thing is that E could care less if people like him or talk to him. He doesn't try even half as hard as P does to make friends. But he is quick witted and people find him to be hilarious. He is a natural athlete and, because he has an older brother, he tends to learn things faster than his kids age (except the reading and writing stuff). He is strong willed and will stand up to people if he doesn't agree, whereas P will change his mind just to make someone happy.
Basically P is me and E is like my brother when we were growing up. After elementary school, I became known as Josh's sister. As we got older, even though I was 3 grades ahead of him, it got worse. My brother was the one everyone gravitated toward and I was more like P- tried too hard, could be a little dramatic, was bossy and wanted to make the rules when we played. So, as much as I take pride in P being so much like me in so many areas of life, this one thing makes me worry. I know how it feels to be the oldest sibling, being made to take the backseat. I hope all this worrying proves to be pointless. I pray that both boys are liked and respected for their individual talents/personalities with their groups of friends, strangers and adults in their lives. Because once that happens, then I can begin to worry about something else in their lives.
Ah, the never ending life of a parent!