In my short time as a mother - and before - I have foolishly watched other people's children and wrongfully judged, thinking my kids were never going to act that way, were kinder, better behaved etc., you get the point.
I really shouldn't have been so naive.
My older sister has two girls of her own (and a boy, but we're just talking about the oldest two kids here) that are each about a year older than mine. My older girls are going to be 5 and 3 next month, and hers just turned 6 and 4. Point being is that I should have been watching her girls more as a warning of what was to come from my own children.
She has been warning me about her girls new tactics at sibling rivalry and I have witnessed some of it first hand. I kept thinking that my girls (at least Brielle) were so mild that I would NEVER encounter such things.
I was wrong.
In my family, as well as my husband's family, where there are two girls next to each other in birth order it would seem that the younger one is the "ring leader" and the older one is quieter and patient. If you know me and my little sister you would understand what I mean. I am still in therapy (with my chocolate stash) over that time of my childhood.
This would lead me to believe that I hadn't experienced much sibling rivalry between my kids because Claire was just too young to initiate it. Now, however, Claire has come in to that age and she does nothing but climb on Brielle, follow Brielle, pull on Brielle's shirt to drag her where she wants her to go. The other day Brielle had the audacity to trip and bump in to Claire. Claire turned around, shoved Brielle and yelled, "Hey! Don't hit me Brielle!" Poor Brielle was dumbfounded. (Yes, we did step in and let Claire know she can't push.)
I had started to worry that we were going to need to teach Brielle how to "fight back" or at least stick up for herself because I didn't want her to be constantly tortured by her younger sister...because I have been there and done that...so sad, I know.
But then Brielle - in her own way - DID retaliate.
She has figured out that while Claire goes for the physical torture - i.e. climbing on Brielle, trying to ride her, dragging her around, hugging her relentlessly - she can get to her with mind games. Brielle will just say things to Claire like, "HA! I took your (imaginary) Batman and put it on the ceiling! Now you can't get it!" This causes Claire to fall apart in a fit of hysterics over her beloved Batman. I don't know why Claire can't realize that the "Batman" on the ceiling is non-existent and she could just as easily pretend to get him down. But for now, Brielle seems to feel as though she still has the upper hand.
So, I guess I should thank my older sister for the warning she laid before me...even if I did ignore it and believe, stupidly, that my kids would never be anything but best friends.
It has me curious - and a little worried - about how Addison is going to fit in to the mix.
