One of these kids will grow up to teach in an elementary school classroom, run a human resources office, or become a sociological researcher.
The other one will grow up to work as a Lego masterbuilder or–even better–a mad scientist.
One of these kids passes spare moments sawing out new tunes on the viola.
The other one fills unscheduled minutes by hanging onto the side of an easy chair, shouting, “Look at how I sucker myself to the side; I’m the monitor lizard that ate Spiderman.”
One of these kids’ meal of choice is vanilla yogurt stirred with granola.
The other one begins many a meal with a bellered, “I’m not just a carnivore; I’m an omnivore, so watch out edamame, watch out beef sticks, and watch out plastic spoons!”
One of these kids likes to sit on the chaise lounge and read books about middle schoolers who dread the lunch hour.
The other one likes to sit on a frisbee swing and deflect galactic missiles with ultra-elemental ax kicks.
One of these kids gets us to our destination by directing, “Mom, turn here. Left!”
The other one is oblivious to the concept of “destination,” being too busy listening to Allie Finkel’s Rules for Girls to register that an outside world exists.
One of these kids soothes a hurt sibling’s heart by running to get beloved stuffed animals for hugs.
The other one believes the stuffed animal is actually alive.
One of these kids uses allowance money to buy unnecessary reading glasses to wear in front of the mirror while being “cool.”
The other one wears drinking straws twisted into spectacles and sucks chicken noodle soup through them, an act that only works when the liquid is suitably cool.
One of these kids poses a Question of the Day on the whiteboard in our bathroom.
The other one refuses to answer the Question of the Day but, rather, makes spot edits to the responses of others. Most recently, when the Question of the Day was “What American name would you choose for yourself, if you could?”, and Groom answered with “Huckle Pie,” this Other Child erased the “H,” replaced it with a “B,” and turned Daddy’s answer into “Buckle Pie.” [the “Question of the Day” specified an American name because previous QotDs had asked about names of choice in other countries] Thanks to Other Child’s mischief, I’m now considering dropping the use of “Groom” on this blog and just referring to him as “…my husband, Buckle Pie.”
One of these children will, in time, handle our estate matters with great aplomb.
The other one will pretend to be a Pokemon called Feraligatr during the memorial service.
One of these children learned to read rotely and diligently, from piece to whole.
The other one learned to read from the top down, understanding the essence of the book from the air hovering above it.
One of these children helps carry bags into the house when we get home from shopping.
The other one has to be tackled and loaded with a loaf of bread, all the while protesting, “But I’m too tired. My legs don’t work.”
One of these children sets the alarm for 7:42 a.m.–all the better for popping out of bed in the morning and getting a start on the day.
The other one pours out of bed reluctantly, sliding into another bed for a cuddle and asking for a thermometer, just in case illness has set in, making further movement inadvisable.
One of these children is ying.
The other one is yang.
Put side by side, they pitch each other into starker relief, illuminating each other’s borders, serving as each other’s negative space–
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