Mermaids, Witches, Tigers, Dragons...and some Apples

Here are some titles of recurring pretend games the girls have created: Mojo Jojo, Don't You Don't, The Mermaid and the Witch, The Lion vs. The Tornado, Tigers, and Princess Warriors. They all seem to involve some variation of Emma being a mean villain and Sophie trying to get away from her. (Sense a pattern, anyone?) These games have a tendency to get violent. Quickly. So much so, in fact, that we've had to create an actual safe word. Sophie has been instructed to shout "Apple!" whenever she wants the game to stop. Like, for example, if Emma is dangling Soph upside down or sitting on her head or wrestling her into a half-nelson and Sophie's subsequent sobs of terror are not enough to signal to Emma that, yes, she is actually harming her sister and needs to cease and desist immediately, then the safe word is employed. Sophie often needs reminded of the new safety procedure, so whenever I hear her screeches of protest I start screaming, "Use the safe word, Sophie! Use the safe word!" (This always leaves me feeling rather dirty, like I'm preparing my children for a different use of "safe word" later in life...but then I throw up a little in my mouth, empty my brain, and refuse to follow this line of thinking any further.) I'd say since the institution of Operation: Apple, Sophie has uttered the safe word approximately 25 times. Emma? Yeah...not once.

The other day I caught the kids on video while in the midst of negotiating the never-ending terms of one of their games. (This was pre-safe word; hence, the video's ending.) It is so fascinating to me, watching their dynamic. Emma can be domineering, no doubt - but she also has moments of really trying to be patient, which just makes me wanna eat her up with a spoon. And I especially love hearing Sophie speak up for herself, even with her limited vocabulary. Yes, she allows herself to be manipulated by Emma, but only to a degree. Much like Chris and me, actually. It's Emma's world; we just live in it. For now, anyway. I suspect our youngest is gonna eventually challenge Queen Em for the throne. And when that day comes, I just hope I'm able to take cover before the explosion hits.

Go Dog Go

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.

Monsters or Angels?

Here's a pic of the girls kissing each other goodnight just minutes ago. They look so sweet, don't they?
You'd never guess from this photo that just hours earlier, both girls were utter monsters. Emma lost her mind at the mall and started wailing, "You just don't understaaaaaaaaaaaand me!" because I accidentally got her the big red gumballs instead of the little red gumballs from the candy machine. Sophie threw herself on the floor in Walmart and screamed, "My shiny! My shiny!" because I wouldn't let her touch the gold tooth in the mouth of the woman behind us in line. (No joke: at one point the woman looked at me, completely deadpan, and asked, "If I let her touch it, will she shut up?")

Yeah. Pictures can definitely be deceiving.