POSTS TAGGED : siblings

I hate you…I love you…You’re my sister

Growing up as an only child, I missed out on the sibling spats that so many of my friends had the luxury of enjoying. As much as I wanted and truly thought my stuffed animals talked back to me, they didn’t.

Fast forward thirty years and as the mother of two girls, I can see how siblings fight and can change their moods in a matter of seconds. It’s like watching an animated film turn into a horror movie right in front of your eyes.

I’ve heard all the stories but really never believed them until I experienced them when my girls started to talk. Ever since, the pendulum has swung from hot to cold in a matter of seconds.

It doesn’t really matter if I’m in the room or not because they get their crazy on right in front of me. There’s no shame.

One minute they’re playing Barbies or a game and it’s so serene I swear I can hear “The Sound of Music” in the background. Barbies are going to a party; my girls are telling each other how much fun they’re having. Then before you know it, I think the Barbies are fighting over the corvette when in reality it’s my little Skippers who are engaged in a battle royale. I let it play out until push comes to shove…literally. Then I have to “momaree” the event and it’s never pretty.

It’s certainly not my finest moment and definitely not theirs.

There’s yelling, there’s crying, then it all stops with the signature ending of my girls saying they hate each other. Yep, another banner day of parenting!

They huff off into their separate corners while I retreat into another room to regain my own sanity.

As I replay this latest episode of “I hate my sister” in my head and try to think of ways for them to stop, I hear something else from the other room.

I peak in and see they’ve each come out of their separate corners. They look at each other and one asks the other if they want to play.

Wait! What?

Five minutes ago you wish you had different mothers, now you want to play? I’m still reeling from the headache you gave me and counting down the hours until you go to bed. Now you’re ready to play nice?

Then I hear three words that must signal I’ve entered the Twilight Zone; either that or I’ve actually slept long enough to have a dream.

“I love you,” says one child. “I love you too,” says the other.

For the love of Christmas! You girls are nuts! More importantly, you’re driving me nuts!

Don’t get me wrong I truly do enjoy the fact that they can make up that quickly, but why all the drama before? I was pretty sure Barbie was going to slap them upside the head because they were acting so crazy!

This is why I’m getting gray. Yep. Totally why.

I know, I know, it’s normal and it’s only going to get worse. Blah, blah, blah. I’ve heard it all before. But, if you go through this too you know how much it sucks in the moment.

It feels like someone kidnapped you and put you on a crazy train. I guess this is what I missed out on by not having a sibling! My Care Bear never told me he hated me. He never told me he loved me either, but I digress.

So what’s a momma to do? Buy ear plugs? I’ve seriously thought about it but realized I would still be able to hear them.

Nope, guess I’ll just grab a book and cozy up on the crazy train because it’s going to be a long ride…

 

 

 

Sister See, Sister Do

Seeing that I am an only child, my view on siblings is pretty much limited to what I saw on “Growing Pains” and all those other 80’s shows that I absolutely loved to watch growing up. Now, as the mother of two little girls, I get a front row seat of siblinghood, 24/7…unfiltered. Sometimes it’s funny, sometimes it’s ugly, sometimes it’s annoying, but it’s always a case of “sister see, sister do.”

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not comparing my kids to monkeys with that analogy…okay, well, maybe sometimes. But, it really is amazing to see how much my younger daughter imitates her older sister. If big sis is done with her breakfast, so is little sis, even if she still has more than half a bowl of cereal left. If big sis grabs a Barbie to play with, little sis drops whatever she has and grabs a Barbie too. Even when big sis goes poop, little sis follows and keeps her company. Awww…how sweet! No, honestly, it’s just gross. Who wants to sit with someone while they poop? Anyone? That’s what I thought, but, I digress.

It’s also funny to see how my younger daughter reacts when her sister has a friend over to play. I can tell you that someone turns a little green with envy. While she plays along at times, she will also take toys from her sister’s playmate and point to her sister and say “mine”. It’s kinda cute, I guess!

While all the cutesy pooh stuff is great times two, the bad behavior is not. I also get a double scoop of couch jumping, ottoman standing, and goldfish crunching on my rug…just to name a few of the Olympic events that go on in my house.This stuff “times two” sucks twice as much in case you were wondering.

Since I never had a sibling I have no idea what the future holds as these girls get older. I can imagine there are going to be plenty of cat fights and plenty of slammed doors. I’m sure there will be plenty of “growing pains” too as our little games of “sister see, sister do” mature with age. I just hope they will remain “besties” and realize how lucky they are to have each other.