It’s often said that squeaky wheels get the oil and it’s absolutely true. The question is, is it fair??
In our family, there one child who is so intense, so persistent, so over-the-top, so busy, that he demands a lot of our attention. I am forever feeling guilty about the amount of time and energy spent with/on/managing this child and/or his behavior. On the one hand, I know that he needs this from us while, on the other, it seems very unfair to those who aren’t as squeaky, for lack of a better term.
 Always in motion, even while reading. |
Then, we have another child who is an extrovert. He walks into a room and folks notice him. He’s charismatic, he’s energetic, he’s insanely goofy. He makes others laugh. all. the. time. Everyone wants to spend time with him. He’s laid back and happy to be along for the ride. He doesn’t demand or require a lot of attention, but he receives plenty because others are naturally drawn to him.
 Seuss, in all his fabulous Seuss-ness |
And then there is T. She is the sweetest little soul. She’s a lover of babies and animals. We always call her Little Mumma because she is always taking care of those around her, especially her buddy Seuss. I catch her several times a day hugging Seuss, with her lips and nose pressed to his head, deeply inhaling. “Mumma,” she’ll say, “I just love the smell of him! He smells like Seuss!”
She is eternally putting others before herself. I could fill a book with stories of her sweetness. Multiple times a day, I notice the kind acts she performs for others. And they are performed without fanfare- if there is one thing that T doesn’t like, it’s attention. She gets antsy when too many people are paying attention to her. She’d much prefer to stand back a bit.
So, today’s post is about my sweet, sweet T. Although she feels supremely uncomfortable in the limelight, she deserves a gazillion shout-outs.
 Our Little Mama and her Seuss |
~ Aesop
Caitlin Fitzpatrick Curley
Cait co-hosts The Homeschool Sisters Podcast and is co-founder of Raising Poppies, a community for parents of gifted and twice-exceptional children. Cait is also founder of the Family Book Club at My Little Poppies, a fantastic community of book-loving parents and the Gameschool Community at My Little Poppies, a vibrant community of gameschoolers.
Cait is a contributing writer for Simple Homeschool and GeekMom. Her work has also appeared on The Huffington Post, The Mighty, and Scary Mommy. You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram
and G+.
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Lori says
The squeaky wheel in our family is definitely my stepson.
He is well meaning, but a lot of the time I feel put off by his demand for attention.
I’m still a firm believer in silence being a respectable attribute, and hope this value can be passed on to my kids…..despite the squeaky wheelling.
I love silence, too! Someday maybe we’ll get some! 🙂