Chalk and Cheese

Chalk and Cheese My children, Kaylee and Brendan were born 18 months apart in 2000 and 2002. Looking at them, you can tell they are siblings; sometimes they are even mistaken for twins! But once you get to know them, you will find they are as different as chalk and cheese. Kaylee and Brendan were raised in the same home by the same parents, but they couldn’t be more diverse mentally, academically and socially. Kaylee and Brendan are like night and day in how they think. Sometimes I like to sit back and watch them interact; I can almost always predict who will go left and who will go right! Kaylee is the “Mother Hen”, always gathering the troops to organize a show, game or project. She is a leader and a do-er, and always thinking of creative ways to express herself. She craves attention and loves adult interaction. On the other hand, Brendan is content playing alone or with one other person. He has an engineer inclined personality and loves to be challenged through with puzzles, model kits and reading. Unlike his sister, he does not need to be entertained, and can spend hours in his room building a Lego city or reading a book. Despite their differences, Kaylee and Brendan use their diverse personalities to their advantage. They are the team to be beat when they combine her creativity with his brains! Academically, Brendan has the advantage. His best subjects are math and science and he truly enjoys school. He loves learning new things he can apply to life. Brendan is a logical thinker, and learns through analyzing and memorizing information. He brings home excellent grades without even trying. On the contrary, Kaylee learns through discussion and relating the ideas to her life. She is talented in creative writing and the arts but struggles in math and science. She has to work hard to keep up with the A/B honor roll. Kaylee is always trying to please her teachers and worries if she is completing her assignments correctly. If my kids were given a title in the yearbook, Kaylee’s picture would be found under “Teacher’s Pet” and Brendan would be found under “Best Lab Partner”. Although Brendan has the academic advantage, socially, Kaylee has the advantage. She is an extrovert and social butterfly. From track to Girl Scouts to chorus, Kaylee stays involved in as many extra-curricular activities as we allow her to. She is extremely outgoing, loves to talk and make new friends. If there is a spotlight, you can be sure to find Kaylee in the center of it. Brendan however, avoids that spotlight as much as possible. He is shy and easily embarrassed. He has an introverted personality and keeps one close friend at a time. He is a Boy Scout, and he excels at earning the badges, but struggles with interacting with the other boys in the pack. Kaylee, however, has no problem interacting with the boys enough for both of them! All things considered, Kaylee and Brendan are best friends. They bring such diverse perspectives to life and mesh together to create the best of both worlds. He is the chalk and she is the cheese and that’s what makes them so special!