Night and Day

I know I’ve said this before, but it still amazes me how different Abang and Adik are from each other. They really are as different as night and day and it could not have been more obvious than today.

Daddy and I took Adik to a birthday party at Kizsports 1Utama. Abang didn’t go because he had stayed overnight at Ant J’s house and was busy getting away with murder around Nenek. (But that’s ok, that’s why Ant J is there – to rein them both in!)

Birthday parties like this usually start with free play. Adik was totally uninterested in the 3-and-under play area and preferred the open area for the above-3 year olds. I took him to the long slide first, because that’s the one that doesn’t require me to be a contortionist (which I would have had to be to follow him around some of the other equipment).

The long slide has soft, cushiony stairs leading to the platform at the top of the slide. It’s an open slide, which I prefer, rather than a tunnel slide. He loved it! Initially he was a bit hesitant, not sure what to expect, but when we got to the bottom he immediately tried to climb back up the slide. After the second time, he didn’t even wait for me. He knew exactly where to go and he was happy to go up by himself.

So I decided to step back and just watch him from afar. I wanted to see how far he would go without me around. Quite far, it would seem. After climbing a few steps up he looked around, saw some older children, looked for me, didn’t find me, shrugged and kept going. When I realised he was already at the top of slide, I elbowed my way past the other children (“PANICKY MOM COMING THROUGH!”) and got to him just before he slid all the way down. Without me!

See, there’s no way Abang would have done that at that age. Heck, even now he wouldn’t do that. Especially not in a loud and noisy place full of screaming kids.

After that the party coordinator got all the children into the dance room (like a dance studio with mirrored walls) to play really rowdy and boisterous games. Adik took Daddy’s finger and pulled him towards the room. Man, it was LOUD! And Adik enjoyed it! When the children came running, almost charging, in his direction – he stood up and screamed. In delight! Then he went running with them in the other direction.

Next up was the parachute, which all the children and adults were holding and shaking up and down to make the ‘waves’. Adik was only too happy to help.

If Abang were there, firstly he would have not gone in. If, by some miracle he went in the games room, he’d probably have his hands cupped over his ears the whole time, never leaving Daddy’s or my side. It would be a cold day in hell before he joins in something like that.

The defining moment was, to me, when Daddy and I were sitting down eating and Adik was walking about, heading to the birthday party room. One of the party coordinators was also going in and he saw Adik walking towards him.

“Hi! You want to come in? Come-la,” he offered Adik his hand.

Adik took his hand and went in. All by himself.