Four Unique Beings

The most interesting part of being a parent to me is discovering each child's unique personality.  When I was pregnant with Cal I couldn't imagine having a child that wasn't just like Brett.  In fact several people told me that I would be surprised at just how different my second child would be from my first.  I remember smiling and agreeing, but knew that they were wrong.  Doug and I were the same parents, so our children would be relatively close in personality, interests and intellect.  It was only a short time after Cal's birth when I realized that I had a lot to learn about raising children and the first item on the agenda was understanding that each of the Heinisch children may have received the same genes, but that did not make them the same individual.

At first the reality of this fact scared me, but as the boys grew and Meg came along I started to thoroughly enjoy the unique personalities of each of the Heinisch children.  They kept life interesting and everyday was an adventure.  When Cam joined the family and showed traits of both Cal and Brett, several family members and friends commented on how much he reminded them of one of his older brothers.  There were some similarities and he was greatly influenced by his siblings, but even Cam developed into his own person with his own likes and dislikes and unique style.  

This week has reminded me a lot of just how different they all are and how because of this they need us in different ways.  I have always been glad that they can rely on us and that we could helped when called upon to do so.  The best part about the challenges of late, however, is that they have turned to each other for support each with their own perspective and ideas to help.  As a parent that has been awesome to witness.  I couldn't ask for anything more.