Arrr!! Boys!!

What is it with boys and mess?
Having to rant at Joseph is not my idea of a great start to the weekend. Last week I spent what felt like an eternity cleaning up Joseph's room. I threw away all the tut that he hoards and gave it a good thorough clear out.
Yesterday, he got sent home from school sick so he spent the day in his room resting, or so I thought.
This morning I went into his room and it looked like a whirl wind had whipped through his room scattering everything everywhere!
There were toys strewn on the floor, his bin was on its side, an empty smoothy carton was on the floor, it was a disaster zone!
Then we saw the bathroom mirror, it had loads of little white finger marks running down it, doors left open, towels on the floor, the whirl wind that is Joseph had also struck the bathroom.
Then I lost it!
I shouted him upstairs and demanded to know what had happened. All I got was a shrug and "I don't know"
Arrr!!!! Is he becoming a teenage early? All that was missing was the Kevin style "its so unfair!!!!'
How can he not know what happened?
He created this trail of destruction.
After my out burst he did tidy up his bedroom. I sorted the bathroom and he is under instructions to clear away all his toys that are outside too!
To try and combat this we are going back to the reward chart strategy. This has always worked a treat with Joseph!
We put on what his jobs are for the week and then every evening before bed, we check if they have  been done and if they are he gets a tick if not, its a cross. He then needs to have earned a certain number of ticks to get his pocket money. So fingers crossed we will have a lovely tidy room this week.
This is probably all of my fault for always running around after him. But before the twins arrived I had more time to and he was younger. I now feel that Joseph is at an age that he needs to have more responsibility and being responsible for the upkeep of his room is not too much to ask.
Boys will be boys and I am sure that today will not be the last time that we go over this. It is all part of growing up and I have to admit that my baby certainly is growing up!

Girls and Boys - Noticing the Differences

One of the things I love about having boy/girl twins is watching how differently they are developing. When you sit and watch them you can certainly see the differences.
But is it simply down to their gender?
Many seem to think that this is the case.
Isabella is very attentive, she thinks about things and talks no end. I am going to, when I get chance, write down all of the words that she does know. She is 17 months but knows so many words! Isabella is quite independent too. Already, when she doesn't get whats, she wants she screams and stamps her feet! I can see that we are going to have a little diva on our hands!
Whereas Taylor is a lot more physical. Taylor has led the way with the climbing, crawling and walked first. He has no fear! He also happily sits and plays with cars or trains. He doesn't say much bless him, but Joseph didn't either at his age. Taylor is a lot calmer and chilled.
Taylor is certainly more of a mummys boy but Isabella is definitely a daddys girl.
So is this is all down to their gender?
Part of me thinks that it is, but I also believe that a lot is down to each individual child regardless of their gender.
It is the same with gender specific toys.
We have "girls" toys, "boys" toys and "unisex" toys.
We do have a pink Minnie Mouse tub and a blue Mickey Mouse tub but toys are not separated. They both play with all of the toys. Isabella often sits with the cars or trains and Taylor often sits and plays with the tea pot. They do not differentiate between the two. This makes me wonder if the gender specific toys are for the parents to specify what their children "should" be playing with according to society. Whereas children do not see a toy, at this age, and think "I cannot play with that, it is for a girl/boy" a toy is a toy and it is a way for them to discover the world around them.
It is going to be so interesting to watch how the twins continue to develop and change. The one thing I have learnt is to not compare them to each other. Each child is going to develop in their own time at their own level.
All 3 of our children are different and have their own individual personalities. It is our job to help them grow into polite, respectful but most importantly happy, contented people. This is, undeniably, the most rewarding job in the world and the one that I am most proud of!