Our second child

She's grown alright but I can't believe she's grown so fast.Ate calls her Jade, some of our relatives call her "HAPONESA" because of her chinky eyes.

Her pedia at San Pedro Hospital once said that the second child often are more determined, stronger than the first child. I can't say I agree or disagree. I just observed that it is with a reason.

First of, Ate tends to grab whatever Jaden is holding. Consequently, Jaden's reaction is to hit back and seize the object in her ate's hands.Secondly, Jaden is only imitating what her ate is doing. At Jaden's age she is very observant, she can even emulate how her ate's eyes rolled from one direction to another or how her ate looks at people or how her ate "cries" in every situation. Jaden even gets jealous already, the way her ate does, if she sees her ate and I cozy in one corner! Thirdly, I observed that Jaden wants to be"the ate". Unconsciously, Jaden wants a bit of the limelight from her ate. This is very evident from the fact that when we talk to Jaden, ate wants to also converse with us and Jaden for herself cannot express well enough. So she goes distracting ate so that she can have the attention all to herself. When ate shows off her dancing skills or whatever ate wants to do, Jaden also demonstrates hers. According to the Alfred Adler birth order theory this sums up the influence for the central character trait in the second born: feeling the need to constantly compete for first place in the eyes of their parents. ( from the article Birth Order Personalities - The Second Child by Nina Guilbeau with link http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art14714.asp).

The above article scared me. It is really with huge responsibilities raising two children. However there are tips given in the article Birth Order: Different Characteristics of Each Child, Tips for Parents, written by Marbie Robertson (http://voices.yahoo.com/birth-order-different-characteristics-each-child-4903542.html).
I am just really praying that ate and Jaden will rise above their situation and will not be a shadow of the anyone, that whatever we have done and will be doing will have both a positive and proactive effect in their lives. Squabbles between the two of them is inevitable. However, I hope and pray that they will live a harmonious life, a life full of empathy for one another.

As early as now, I wish I had shown enough for Jaden to understand that she there is no second nor first in the eyes of her papa and mama, that our love for them both surpasses their love and need for us.