Poor Wes

Wow, what a rough day for Wes. First he and his brother tore down the curtains in their room and whacked Wes in the head. Next, I receive a text from his mother Christian cursing, about him emptying out the "Swifter Jet Mop" into the kitchen floor and then sliding through it all morning. Plus the "wet jet" mix had soaked his clothes. It didn't get much better in the afternoon when his mom popped him in the face with a Frisbee. Boy, what a whelp...ok, it was actually me that threw the Frisbee and I felt horrible. Wes ended the night with one of the freakiest accidents I've ever witnessed. Holly was microwaving popcorn for our American Idol Results Show night when she realized the popcorn wasn't popping. She microwaved it again, and the same thing...no popping. She removed the bag from the microwave and as she let it hang, butter poured out of a hole in the bottom of the bag, right onto Wes' arm. Luckily he wasn't burned but it did sting. He looked at us and said "night, night." I guess he was calling it a day. Poor guy, my little cowboy was hopping out of the saddle and hitting the hay.

Being the oldest of two, I've always wondered what it was like to be the baby of the family. My brother, Josh, has that distinction. I don't know if any significant difference exists...the oldest has to break in the parents and the expectations are high - I think the parents believe (at least in the beginning) that the oldest can do no wrong...but pretty soon the oldest begins to believe they can do no wrong or they let mom and dad down. The youngest often has the pressures of trying to succeed to the level of their older siblings, at least I guess that is the case from watching my kids coexist. I hate that for them...each child is different, we work hard to help them live their own lives and value their differences. But what if you were the youngest of five, the baby of the family by only 1 minute?

When the twins were born, Will came out first followed by Wes 1 minute later...what difference may that 1 minute have on their lives? Are certain events set in place that will forever affect their behavior? With Will being the older twin - is he destined to be the more dominant of the two and does that mean, Wes, by the difference of 1 minute be the less dominant. I wonder if this has any relevance whatsoever. Of all the identical twins that I have known and since come to know given our membership in the POTATO (Parents of Twins and Triplets Organization) group, the percentages skew pretty high that the older twin (Baby A) is often the more dominant of the two. Also, will this 1 minute be a blessing, or curse for Wes as he is officially the baby of the Carmack Clan?

I don't know what will happen but I find it curious what an eternal difference 1 minute makes. Not necessarily determining the path you take down life's road, not even setting sail in any specific direction but more or less simply establishing the frame in which you paint the picture of your life. So, whether it be an oil painting or watercolor, a matte or glossy finish, ultimately the picture Wes paints with his life, will be of his own making. I just hope he likes the frame he was given 1 minute after Will.

Volume 1, Issue 5

Carmack Clanology

-Jon