I have two polar opposite children. From their pregnancy to their birth to their everything. What Ryan and I thought would be their respective paths is also polar opposite. We discovered this when Nash had zero interest in sports and London had zero interest in dance.
Yes, we were the parents whose son watched the baseball go by him and said he "would like baseball if he didn't have to hit the ball and there was music in the outfield." We have been the parents whose daughter stood in the middle of her ballet class - expressionless - while the rest of the girls danced around her.
It is painful to watch your kids do something they don't want to do. We barely made it through one season of six year old baseball and just six weeks of dance. It was then that Ryan and I made a pact to let them lead. We would focus on what Nash and London expressed interest in - even if that meant Nash was in dance and London in baseball.
A true relief.
The pressures of parenthood are no joke and when your kids have different interests than the social norm, it feels magnified. Playdates are different, birthday parties are different, clothing options are different, toys are different, birthday lists, Christmas lists.. it is endless.
When I see this picture, it brings me pure joy because I see two kids who feel free to express themselves as they are and not what society deems as "normal."
And that is something I hope every parent has the chance to experience ✨