Being alike and different

My son (right) and his father at his age

Isn’t it amazing how much children can resemble their parents?

You take out your childhood photos and there is a carbon copy of your child at the same age. The same face, the same mannerisms. The way they laugh and the way they sleep with their hands in between their knees and the way they snore.

As a mother I feel really proud when someone tells me that my son looks just like me. Unfortunately it is only my friends who have not seen much of my husband who tell me that. Anyone who knows my husband well can see that my son is a copy of him. He has the same eyes and forehead and shape of his face. Many of his mannerisms resemble that of his father too. My mother-in-law loves to take out old pictures of her son which show how much father and son look alike.

Not that he doesn’t have his own personality. Some of the things he says really amaze us. He met a girl at the park and told her that he was born in Pakistan but is actually from Spain. He then proceeded to count in Spanish to prove his point! I think he was just trying to impress the girl. Then yesterday we were passing through the neighborhood and saw that some branches of the trees had been cut. My son immediately spoke out. “Why are you cutting the trees? Where will the birds sit? On the FLOOR?!” Another time he saw the water sprinklers on and he went and turned them off. “If we waste water, the planet will become sad”. I certainly can’t remember being so worried about the trees and saving water at his age.

He has also been learning about healthy living at school. When he saw me eating fries he admonished me and told me that fries are not healthy. And when I tried to give him crisps for a snack he told me off saying “That’s junk food!”

He may look like his father but he is way more advanced than the both of us put together!