My son Adam, born 6-2-92, has imagination to burn. Hw was 'making up books' at age 3-4. He'd staple a bunch a pages together draw pictures in them, and then tell us the captions to put below them. I saved my favorite one. The first page has a primitive stick figure next to a window, and a caption that reads, 'A boy stood by the window wishing the wind was his'. He has invented 'The Boys of the Hidden Temple', a group of boys with heroic powers, with there own secret hide out, and a series of adventures that he created in his head. Once he extemporised a story while we were driving somewhere for 45 straight minutes. It was amazing. He has that creativity drive, and likes to perform. He's sung solo's at church and been in pageants and plays at summer camps, church and school. He puts thought into how his character will act and sound.

On the other hand he has pretty serious attention and organization problems, and the flip side of that creative drive is that sometimes you can't tell him anything. What is in his mind is the higher reality. An example. I once made the mistake of telling Adam how we picked his name. Specifically I told him that when expecting we had originally picked out Simon as the name for a boy, and then changed it just a few weeks before he was born. There was a ten minute pause as he mulled this over, followed by a declaration that Simon was a 'cooler'name and he wanted his changed to that. I kindly explained that since he was 5 and had been and was Adam to everyone and to every legal document, and since its the parents that get to name the kid, that he was going to have to accept Adam. He argued and lobbied me relentlessly for 9 months. Not a day passed but that he raised the issue. He would not be distracted, he would not let it go. Eventually it got to be to much and I had to order him not to bring it up again. He complied but...its been about 2 years since then, and just recently, out of the blue, we were driving somewhere and he asked me, 'Dad, when your a grown up can you change your name?' The idea was still in his head.

And if you substitute his creative drive with an interest in science, he is just like his father. Is that a gloat or a moan? I'm working on the answer to that one.

My daughter Claire is 10 months old, even tempered, smiles instantly on eye contact, and is physically as strong as an ox, and in constant motion. We have a running joke--Greco Roman Diaper Changing, from the physical ordeal of battling the contortions and escape moves she pulls. Most babies you can hold their legs and keep them fairly under control. Not Claire, she pulls and twists so hard, that to keep her under control you'd have to squeeze hard enought to hurt her. And she's fast.