The last post was a vent about how challenging Seren's behavior has been. I remember last April/May I thought I was going to have to sell her- her behavior was so crazy! So I anticipate it getting more crazy as we move forward. Then I think it will be fine again.
The thing is, she is soo delightful one on one. She is this little love. Full of questions. Full of ideas! Full of conversation. And she bounces! It is just hard to get that one on one time in the evening. So as a result, it can get ugly. Quickly.
And just this morning, before 7 am, she had a major meltdown over not being able to read us a story. It wasn't that we didn't want her to, it was that SHE HAD to hold the book. And Wyeth wanted to hold the book too. Tears. Sobbing. Heaving shoulders. At 6:55 am. Sharing a life with a little brother is mostly fun. But not fun all of the time. Sometimes I feel that having two disadvantages both kids! On the other hand, they love to play together and he is her constant companion. "Wy! Over here buddy!" And he just follows along. Like a love sick puppy.
This is all to say that I appreciate the one on one time I get both kids. Every Saturday and Sunday, Seren and I have a tradition of a special snack.
She 'naps' for an hour each day. She goes down when Wyeth does. She pretty much sings and talks. And reads. And reads to her dolls. And looks out the window. And sings some more. For an hour or more. And then, when she comes down, on the weekends, we have 'hot coco and crackers and cheese."
I make her hot chocolate and bring out crackers and cheese. And we talk. And we snack. She tells me about her adventures. What is on her mind. And I give her my attention while we snack.
It is lovely! And I appreciate just seeing HER for her.
What amazes me about this age is the paradox. She is so grown up. So tall. So articulate. So funny. So independent. Able to dress herself. Make and butter her own toast. And just thrive. At the very same instant, she is still in pull ups at night. Still wants me to sing her to sleep. Still uses a sippy cup. Still clings to her pink stuffed 'baa baa' sheep that she has slept with since she was two. And still so little.
There will soon be a time when she won't want to have hot coco and crackers and cheese. So for now, I'll put in a little extra chocolate and enjoy.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
In some ways, I do feel like having a sibling brings out the worst in my kiddos. At the same time, MAN does it teach them some great lessons about not getting your way all the time. Learning to compromise. Learning to work things out. As much as we do get 1:1 time with the boys, they also just need to accept the fact that we are a busy household and being together is a fact they have to learn to deal with.
But I am ALWAYS amazed at how much easier and how much calmer it is with one kid. And that's why we're done with two!
Agree with everything Laura said. It's awesome to be able to share those special moments, though. I'm impressed with how conscientious you are about making those moments happen. We often have one-on-one time, but I forget to try to make it special, somehow. I definitely need to work on that more!
I agree, too. I often hear the phrase "at his expense" running through my head as everything I do for one seems to come at the expense of the other. It's so frustrating. And yet I can't imagine my life without my two siblings, so I'm just trying to hang onto the idea that someday they will feel the same way about each other. Just when it seems awful, there will come that moment when one of them is making the other one crack up, and then I remember why I was crazy enough to have the second!
Post a Comment