A Scholar and An Artist

It's funny how we start labeling children from the moment they're born - good baby, good sleeper, fussy, colicky, clingy, happy, etc. As they grow and change the labels change as well - smart, athletic, wild, confident, insecure, calm, etc. But the thing about kids is that one day they may be clingy and insecure and in a matter of weeks (sometimes even overnight) they become independent and confident. My boys change every day and despite the fact that they came from the same gene pool they are so very different in so many ways.

A speaker at my MOPS group once told us that children typically deal in absolutes. If they hear that a certain sibling is the "smart" one they immediately think of themselves as the "dumb" one even though that thought is completely wrong and ungrounded that's how they see themselves. After hearing that observation I strive to not put absolute labels on my sons but rather compliment and praise them both consistently. I cannot deny however that they do have different interests.

So I'm not going to say Nathan is the only scholar in our house but he certainly is one. Here's my young scholar working on his favorite new puzzle - a map of the United States. One might think that it is a little advanced for a three year old but he really likes it.
I found the puzzle at a garage sale. It's a really nice one - wooden, not cardboard. Each state has that state's capitol on it and some little picture. Nathan likes Tennessee because it has a guitar on it.

He also likes Texas - it is home after all. He immediately recognizes Texas partly because my dad has his home office decorated in Texas things. Once he learned what Texas looks like he started asking about the other states so I knew the puzzle would be a hit. We got out our Disney/Pixar Look and Find book where the Route 66 states are all hidden on the Cars page. I helped Nathan place each state from the puzzle where it belongs on the page in the book. He thought that was pretty cool.

Once again I'm not going to say that Benjamin is the only artist in our house but he certainly is one. I've mentioned Benjamin's artistic abilities before but he just continues to amaze me. Here's one of his latest drawings of a man.

As an adult I think about the labels that describe me - there's a whole list of them over on the side bar under the line "About Me." The one that matters most is "disciple of Christ" and that is the only label I truly long for my sons to have. It is fun to see how God is crafting their unique talents and abilities though.