Type A All the Way

I haven't had many stories to tell about R recently, because I like this blog to be a happy place. Honestly, most of the stories about him these days would involve his difficulty in finding his "happy place," crying, fits and time out.

He is a good, precious, love of a boy when he is having a great day. He just likes things done his way. And "his way" is extremely specific and highly likely to change on a whim. He is very verbal and expressive. When he is unhappy, there is no denying it.

I always assumed K would be the leader of the pack, you know, thanks to that extra X chromosome and all, but the Alpha Dog around here is indisputably R. If there is a button to be pushed, a door to be held open, a bag to carry, a water hose to be held, a decision to be made, R wants to do it. He is not comfortable unless he is in control. He makes and enforces more rules than I do some days.

R inherited a double dose of Type A from his parents. We have joked that his intense, demanding personality has definitely predisposed him to being a boss...or a surgeon. :-)
I was reassured Thursday when my mother-in-law was in town. Before she left, she encouraged me that her son had a very similar personality at this age and he turned out quite alright!

My challenge as his mother, is to try to reign in some of the selfish, controlling, negative attributes of this type of personality (I know them well because I share them) and help R emphasize his helpfulness, strength, verbal skills and leadership characteristics. Having a child with weaknesses so similar to my own is a constant mirror in my face. The patience, wisdom and endurance required are the areas where my Heavenly Father is working on me--and what keep me on my knees.

Edited to add: I want to make sure this post is not misconstrued to send a message that I have favorites, etc... My children seem to alternate going through challenging stages (thank goodness!). R is just the one who is most successfully pushing Mama's buttons at the moment. :-)