sisters

It's fun watching the sister relationship develop between my girls. I already see how much Charlotte adores Maddie and how irritated Maddie is by Charlotte. Maddie doesn't want Charlotte to have any of her toys, and Charlotte wants what Maddie has and only what Maddie has. There is a very obvious tug of war between them, and its my job to try and keep the peace, even at this very early stage. Its hard work having more than one kid, and not just in the sense that its more work.....it's hard work to foster healthy relationships between siblings, to give them the space they need to work it out on their own, but also give them the guidance to make the right choice.....the one you want them to make.....the loving, accepting, giving one.

I have two older brothers, but they are so much older than me that we didn't really deal with these kinds of situations....at least i don't remember them. I do remember getting a booger wiped on me, and them jumping out from behind the corner to scare me as I walked down the hall, but I also remember them being gone all the time (out with friends) and moving out of the house while I was still young. I am not really sure the best way to foster a healthy close relationship between my girls, but I'm trying.

These pictures are significant only because Maddie and I were playing with her dolls, Charlotte was trying to play too but Maddie didn't want her even touching the dolls. Maddie eventually moved onto something else and Charlotte was finally allowed to do whatever she wanted with those dolls. She had a great time and they actually occupied her for a good 15 minutes. Throughout the play with the two girls I kept telling Maddie that she needed to share, and she tried, but Charlotte just doen't play the way that Maddie would like her to, and most of their time together was spent with Charlotte messing up the doll blankets, and Maddie getting upset and me telling her that she needed to share and be patient which just made her more irritated. Oh what a road we have ahead of us!!