...AND THEN YOU HAVE YOUR SECOND ONE...

It is very strange how you change between your first child and your second child. With the second you are more relaxed in your parenting, calmer, not quite so stressed about things....more low-key. For example:

With a first child you sterilize everything!

With a second child you figure, hey, a little dirt never hurt anybody!

With a first child if the pacifier falls on the floor, you immediately replace it with a clean one.

With a second child you either pop it into your mouth a second, blow on it to "blow" all the germs away, or just pop it back into baby's mouth, germs and all.

With a first child you run over there the minute he/she falls, anxiously saying "Are you o.k.? Did you hurt anything? Are you o.k????? Do you want a cookie?"

With a second child you look at them and say "There's very little blood and no broken bones, you're fine, go play now!"

With a first child you put a bandaid on anything, no matter how small. Sometimes several.

With a second child you wipe away the blood and weigh the size of the wound versus the cost of a bandaid.

With a first child, you tell them no, and then you tell them no again, and then no for a third time.

With a second child you tell them no, and then wonder if it's kind of like closing the barn door after the horse has escaped.

With a first child you are very careful of candy, pop or snacks and they may not taste their first piece of candy until they are three, or older.

With the second child they have their first taste of candy at a very young age, compliments of their older brother or sister.

A first child knows their name.

A second child thinks their name is "Hey you, yes you!"

With a first child, you carefully monitor how much t.v. they're watching and how much sugar they are eating.

With a second child, you set them down next to their sibling, while they eat their sugared cereal and watch a t.v. program, hoping you can get in a shower before the commercial comes on and they lose interest.

With a first child you very carefully potty train them.

With a second child you say "Look what your brother can do!"

With a first child you look at the crayon mural on the wall and sigh as you clean it up.

With a second child you look at the crayon mural on the wall and call it "Art."

With a first child, you very carefully and tastefully select their clothes every day.

With a second child you're just happy if they leave the house dressed, who cares if it matches?

With a first child you call them by their name.

With a second child you call them everyone's name but their own, up to and including the dog's name.

A first child will answer only to their own name.

A second child will answer to anything.

With a first child, if they break their toy you say "Oh, I'm sorry! I'll buy you a new one!"

With a second child if they break their toy you say "Ooops. Too bad!"

With a first child you wonder if you'll ever be able to love another child as fiercely as you love your first.

With a second child you realize your heart has more than enough love for as many children as God gives you!