When you have twins and watch two children grow up simultaneously it’s inevitable that comparisons will be made. Swee’Pea and TheMonk are no different. While both enjoy a good laugh and both enjoy a good poo poo joke, their differences are often what amaze me the most.

As they have transitioned from baby to toddler to pre-schooler, their interests have diverged in some pretty interesting ways. Swee’Pea for example is a total girl. She loves lipgloss, nail polish, pretty bows, pink dresses and worms. (Okay, maybe not TOTAL girl but she’s pretty far along the girls spectrum.)

TheMonk, on the other hand is all boy. He loves cars, trains, wrestling, playing in the dirt and dressing up Barbie. (What can I say? He likes to put a hot girls clothes ON rather than take them off. Pretty sure that might change in the future.)

Personality-wise they are almost night and day. I like to call TheMonk “The Mayor” because he will work a room faster than Bill Clinton at BlogHer. Swee’Pea, on the other hand, is Ms. Shy. She sits back and takes it all in and will only fully engage when she’s completely comfortable.

When they eat, Swee’Pea always uses a fork or spoon, held correctly, and has even taken to wiping her mouth with a napkin. TheMonk slops food towards his open mouth, many times missing the mark, and eschews silverware almost entirely. The dude has even been known to eat ice cream with his bare hands.

But the biggest difference is the way both look at the world. TheMonk is laid back, interested, asks lots of questions and wants to please others. Swee’Pea, on the other hand, seems to care very little about pleasing others. She is also less inquisitive, struggles for perfection (which can be a hard thing for a four year old) and is very, very, very stubborn.

In fact, if there is one image that I can show you that best captures the personality of both Swee’Pea and TheMonk simultaneously, I give you Exhibit A:

Even if you didn’t go by color, Swee’Pea’s toothbrush, on the left, would be easy to spot. The girl’s a grinder. She wants to get it right and will go to great lengths to make sure she does. TheMonk? Eh. He could care less.