When I imagined our children, I envisioned calm, tiny humans who would play nicely and read quietly. Little people who had sweet manners and shared well with others. The darlings I received are a little different. Our two year old is opinionated, boisterous, and enjoys seeing how far she can push the envelope before there are consequences. Our son is calm and determined. He wants to catch up to his big sister and be on the move. He is not nearly as large in personality (yet) and appears to analyze the world around him. I was afraid when I had another child that I would not know how to reconcile the differences between them. I was worried I would not know how to treat our children equally, but that’s where the wisdom of other mothers came in. It’s impossible to treat kids equally. They are different people. Our daughter and son are very different individuals who need different things from me. Our daughter is in a phase of idealized independence, and our son is a baby who wants nothing more than to be constantly snuggled. The best way to address our children is to love them for who they are. It is important to meet them where they are and to address their individual needs. If we truly think about it, that’s how God treats us. God wants a personal relationship with us (like we want with our children). God wants us to come to him, day or night, and bring our emotions to him (like we want to share our children’s joy, pain, love, etc.). God wants to meet us where we are and help us (just as we want to for our own children). God is the perfect parent who wants the best for His children, and we are designed in his image. I pray to see our children through God’s eyes and give them the same grace He gives me.