Lately, it feels like the girls spend the majority of their time together fighting. About what, you ask? You name it. Sophie draws a dot on Em's picture, and the world ends. Sophie hits Emma, and the world ends. Sophie takes Em's toy away, and the world ends. Starting to see a pattern here? Oh, yes. Our two-year-old has discovered the many joys of antagonizing her big sister. Sophie absolutely revels in sending Emma over the deep end. And part of me is like, who can blame her? Em's buttons are so very easy to push, and her emotions are so very easy to manipulate. How gratifying Sophie must find Emma's predilection toward extremes. It's all one big game to Sophie, and the bigger Em's reaction, the more Sophie wants to play. Asking a toddler to resist that kind of entertainment is like waving a bone in front of a puppy and then expecting him not to bite. But while the behavior may be understandable, it's absolutely exhausting to the person forced to mediate their constant squabbles. I'm usually (literally) throwing my hands in the air and shouting "That's IT! I am DONE! Kill each other for all I care!" before lunch rolls around.
Thankfully, the girls still experience brief, shining moments of harmony...just enough to keep us all sane. Here is one of those moments - Em reading to Sophie tonight before bedtime.
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