the apple doesn't fall...or what you give is what you...

I took the car in for servicing in our old neighborhood and went to the convenience store up the street to get change for the bus home. The man that owns and runs the store has a little boy maybe 3 years older than Skyler. I walk in pushing the stroller to buy some gum to get change for a $10, and notice the little boy behind the counter quietly playing with a little toy train and realize that this kid is the same toddler that I saw a couple of years ago and he was just as calm and quiet then as he is now.

I quickly turn my head as Skyler screams "I want this Mommy!" pointing to some candy he's never even had before and realize that if that other child was raised to sit quietly behind the counter his whole life of 4 or 5 years, that's why he's doing it now. And if my kid is sitting here semi-yelling (quiet for Skyler, loud for a quiet store).... well, let's just say that I think because we are "The Loud Family" (remember that Saturday Night Live skit called the Loud Family where the teenagers are downstairs screaming "Wow! This is really great POT!" and the parents are upstairs loudly having sex?) that we are going to end up with a loud kid. I'm not sure if I can change it at this point - modify my own behavior or change who Skyler is - or if I want to, and I'm not sure if it's completely normal for a small child to sit quietly all day focused on a little toy. I'm sure there is a happy medium that we should strive for and we have been better lately since we now have upstairs neighbors. And every person and child are different, maybe that little boy is just the quiet type?