Here you can see our nearly three year old Marissa scaling the playground like a pro.  One wonders why she seems fearless and will climb with abandon, regardless of the height. Momma stands on the sidelines spotting her like a coach and worried sick that a slip will have her landing six or seven feet down on the wood chips.  Thank the Lord that they had enough sense not to pour concrete on the playground!  This has come as a surprise to me because Mark by nature is very cautious.  He is not fearful of heights as he will take the stairs to the top of the climber but has only now just attempted to go down the slide, climb the ladder or fearfully attempt to scale some of the other things like the rock wall and rope ladders.  Some attribute this to "girls are faster" to develop.  I am not claiming to be an expert, however I do not believe that boys are two years behind in the climbing department.  I think that there is something internal in our make-up that predisposes us to have different approaches to challenges.  Mark is an observer and will watch from the sidelines, Marissa will throw herself in and damn the consequences.  Why is this?  Two different sets of parents.  Four different genetic pools to select from.  As the nurturing parents, our job is to make each feel at ease with who they are and to support and encourage each one in their efforts.  So far Marissa has not shown any real deep appreciation for the music that Mark has.  Each different.  Each special.  That being said, I am still constantly asked by strangers if they are twins!  I smile and say no, they are not.  They are brother and sister two years apart.  That is my story and I'm sticking to it!