Contradictions....

Darren is full of contradictions. He is fearless about some things, but is very afraid of others. I have literally and physically caught him jumping from the counter, the dresser, several steps up but put him around any kind of animal and he shakes in his boots. He will try to stand on his bike to ride it, but cry if he gets around a loud piece of equipment. He will jump from one bar stool to another, but cling to me if a cow moos too loudly.

I have watched him climb up a four foot fence to the top rung on the farm as long as the cows weren't withing sight. Then cry and try to jump off the fence once one walked out of the barn. He has clung to me when Nathan shows him a newborn kitten and run from a cat that was obviously someones pet.

Nathan was gung-hoo about showing a pig at the fair when he was Darren's age, but Darren won't even look at a baby pig without shaking. Nathan was showing 250 pound pigs without a problem, and wouldn't hesitate to jump in a pen full of 250 pound pigs. You can't get Darren within twenty feet of a pen of market pigs.

Darren's fear is not exclusive to animals either. My Grandpa Gottemoeller recently reconditioned a FarmAll tractor for Dad that is over fifty years old. When Bill brought it back to the farm, he parked it in the garage in Stacey's spot. We brought the boys out to see the "new" tractor and they were fighting about who got to sit in the seat first. Darren had no problem climbing up by himself. After Darren was done with his turn, Nathan got on. Grandpa (my Dad) started the tractor up and Darren went into panic mode and he started crying. It was a little loud since we were in a garage, but it wasn't extremely loud.

He fell down the entire flight of stairs at Mom's house and was climbing back up them five minutes later. He will climb the twenty or thirty foot ladder in the barn at the farm, but if a dog barks within his sight he wants someone to hold him.

I guess he has no thoughts of him falling and hurting himself, but he knows that everything else can hurt him so that is why he gets scared?