Spring Break

The girls have been home from school this week. In general, it's been a good week, but I'm ready for them to go back.

It wasn't until yesterday that they started getting mean. The first couple days they woke up happy to play and it lasted ALL day. Amazing. Yesterday they started getting snippy, and today they started the HITTING.

Hitting makes me furious. I hate it when they start swiping at each other.

I know we're weird, and many people don't even believe me when I say it, but Beth and I experienced almost no sibling rivalry. Most of my memories of being a kid have to do with playing with her-

We taped wings on our Barbies and made them into super heroes.
We built block cities and played with our FP people.
We dug in the dirt and created castles and played in them.
We played with our bunnies in CA.
We made up stories and dances and performed them for my mom.
We watched cartoons on Saturdays.
We had tea parties.
We'd get out board games and make up our own rules.

I don't even remember having a serious argument with her until I was in college.
I remember getting seriously annoyed with her in CA 'cuz sometimes she'd hide my book thinking I'd play with her if I couldn't find it. But I didn't. Cuz I was mad at her... But that was the extent of it.

Anyway, I hate sibling rivalry. A lot. And I thought it was horrible and abnormal.

Big surprise: Beth and I were weird. Sibling rivalry is normal.

So, I'm learning how to minimize it without expecting it to be eradicated. I honestly thought I could make it go away at first. Tell them to stop and they'd stop. Ha!

They are getting better, but they still fight quite a bit. I love it when they play together happily. And they do. Probably more than they fight. But the fighting seems so big to me.

Anyway, they've done very well this week. They got a little grouchy yesterday and we went outside and played in the snow. It wasn't until today that their grouchiness manifested itself in physical violence. I should consider that a big step forward. And I do.

Anybody got a magic pill I can give them so they are kind to each other? And yes, their memory verse is, "Be kind to each other." And it has helped. Interesting how Bible verses actually change hearts...