Jan
2
My kids are pretty decent people and are pleasant most of the time. But there’s this thing they’ve been doing lately that goes something like this:
Phoebe (or Lucy or Julia. Their names are interchangeable in this scenario.) sits quietly enjoying a bowl of popcorn. (Also, you should realize that “bowl of popcorn” could be replaced with ANYTHING. Yesterday, it was a towel.)(And I use the term “enjoying” loosely.)
Lucy sees the popcorn. Lucy wants the popcorn. Lucy takes the popcorn.
Phoebe screams. Phoebe cries. Phoebe assaults Lucy.
Lucy retaliates.
I intervene.
I remind the girls that their sisters are reasonable people and suggest that Lucy politely ask Phoebe if she may have some of her popcorn.
Lucy regains her composure and asks, “Phoebe, can I please have some popcorn, too?”
Phoebe turns off the tears and agrees, “Sure! Here ya go.”
Happiness ensues.
Now, if we were in public or with anyone outside of our family, there’d be no taking of the popcorn bowl, screaming, crying or violence. They know, in any other situation, that the right thing to do is use kind words and manners. But at home and to each other? They’re riled up for a fight like guests on The Jerry Springer Show. And we’ve been going through this so often, I could program a robot to step in and handle it for me, which is tempting, because REALLY KIDS? THIS AGAIN!?!
They really are reasonable kids. 90% of the time, when asked, they will willingly share. 100% of the time, when one of them rips something out of the hands of another, something bad happens. They’re smart kids. Why can’t they get those odds?
Do your kids do this? Tell me they do. And if they don’t, tell me about something they do that will make me feel better.
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Would it make you feel better (or scare you) to know that my siblings and I still do this, to some extent…and I’m 32?
My kids do this all of the time but they also do it in public. Me and my sister still do this when we are together.
My kids do it and my brother and I did when we were kids too. Sibling thing.
Yep, it’s a sibling thing. We are always jealous of what the others are getting, even if we just got something better and we didn’t want what they got in the first place.
The great thing about me & my siblings now is that we do it with a smile and can laugh about it now. My kids are where yours are and Gabriel is always asking me the same question on their behavior, “Is this a sibling thing?”, as he’s an only child too.
Urgh, the fueding around here has been insane. Everything is an issue…EVERYTHING! The big stuff, the little stuff, and evertyhing in between is fair game around here. It makes me so sad when they fight like that, but then two seconds later they will be in the next room laughing and being nice to each other. Kids, they are crazy little people!
I’m an only too and I’ve been questioning people with siblings about this for years. Apparently it’s totally normal. My youngest is the worst about it, but only because sometimes my older ones get on a power trip and tell him no when he does ask politely.
My two do it all the time & I suspect when the nine month old is big enough, he’ll join in too!
my favorite is the fighting over pretend things! like this:
makhya: here mom, here are some cupcakes i made you for your birthday, you can eat them!(handing me four megablocks placed nicely in the megablocks top, looking like cupcakes in a muffin tin)
evan: (comes over, pretends to stuff all the cupcakes in her mouth as fast as she can!)
makhya: No! Those were cupcakes I made for Mom!!! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!
Really? Can’t you just make more? Aren’t there enough pretend cupcakes for everyone to shove them all in our mouths as fast as we can? Also, Evan, you only did that to make irritate her! WHY????
Oh my goodness, Tami, YES! My kids do this, too!