War and Peace

     There is absolutely no better sound than the sound of your kiddies getting along, am I right?  It's as if the Heavens have opened up and shined a bright, glowing beam down upon your family while the angels sing the most beautiful rendition of "Hallelujah" that your ears have ever had the pleasure of hearing.  But we all know this peace cannot last, oh no, no, no.  That would be unheard of.  And it's as if these tiny creatures know it!  I think they feel our sense of relaxation or see our faces beaming with pride and amazement.  I truly believe my kiddies see and sense all of this and "regroup" behind the couch to have a Meeting of the Minds.  That is where they decide that they have played nice long enough, mommy's defenses are down, and they are planning the moment to strike.  Clever little devils.

     I love watching my daughter and son play together in perfect harmony.  I could watch them all day, if only the peace lasted that long, and sadly, it only lasts about the lifespan of a fruit fly.  When they ARE playing nicely together, it is music to my ears.  One game they love to play is "Chase".  Of course my daughter absolutely loves this game because she gets to boss her little brother around and he is more than happy to oblige, which a lot of the time is how most of their games go.  The other day she would run into the kitchen, yell for him to run in there, and as he ran in, she ran out.  This produced high octaves of giddy screams and they did this, back and forth from kitchen to living room, for maybe 10 minutes.  (Which is quite a while in Toddler Time.)  I sat back and peacefully watched them entertain themselves until my son grabbed a ball he found in the living room and his attention quickly went from "Chase" to "Throw".  My daughter wasn't having any of that...cue the War of the Toddlers.  I hear her scream at him as she slaps the ball out of his hands, hurling him into an epic meltdown.  He's screaming, trying to get his ball back as I walk in since I know this will not end peacefully without a mediator.  I tell her to give him the ball back which throws her into an hour-long (not really, but it sure did seem like it to me) speech about how he is not doing what she says and he is SUPPOSED to always listen to her but he is NOT and she is MAD.  I tell her to not be so bossy which then ignites her meltdown of astronomical proportions.  As she's crying, he walks up to her and hands her his ball, then says, "Sorry, sissy," and gives her a hug.  I stand there, absolutely speechless.  WTH just happened here?! 

     I can't help but play the song "Imagine" by John Lennon in my head to drown out the screams and wailing of my two perfect angels when they are in the throes of their wars.  I picture them fighting in slow motion with the song playing in the background, horrible, I know. I also like to rewind my memory back to when they were laughing and delightfully squealing with each other not just 5 seconds ago.  I have come to discover that a toddler's will is not just extremely strong, it is like, survive an Apocalypse strong.  My husband and I laugh with each other and blame the other one for both of the childrens' inherited "hard-headedness", but in a way it makes us nervous, because we now know just what we're up against. 

     When our daughter was born, I immediately knew that I didn't want her to be an only child.  I went through that having half-brothers and let me tell you, I created quite the imagination for myself, but it was lonely most of the time.  Now, on days of constant war, I ask my husband as soon as he walks through the door, "Just whose idea was it anyway to have more than ONE child?!"  I know they truly love each other; if our son is getting reprimanded for doing something wrong and starts crying, his big sister is right there hugging him and doing things to make him laugh.  If she hurts herself and is crying, her little brother is there, head to one side looking at her and asking, "Sissy, okay?"  And he is also quick to wrap his arms around her to provide comfort if she gets into trouble.  And then, in the next second, he might grab a toy of hers and she yanks it right out of his hands, he starts screaming, hits her, and then she starts screaming and hits him back, thus initiating yet another war all over again.  But no one on the outside better mess with either, or they will feel the wrath of the other sibling; for it is the unspoken agreement of brothers and sisters.

     Fight like cats and dogs, yet always have each others' backs.  War and Peace.  It's an art, really.  And they are mastering it VERY well already.