1 Mother 2 Another

Maddie and Cora are in quite the feisty
stage right now, and I’m dangerously close to opening up a
can of whoop-ass on both of them sometimes.


I do not, do NOT understand why they are so mean to each other, yet
so different with their friends. What is this natural antagonism,
this inbred animosity?


I fret that I have instilled some sort of insecurity in each girl:
that each is mean to her sister out of some fear of being
less-well-loved by Mommy. I worry that I have made each girl feel
not as good as her sister. Or even that I walk around trashing my
own family members, setting a bad example.


Then I just watch them and realize nope, this is just contempt bred
by familiarity at its absolute finest.

I could list mean words after crabby face
after hurtful action on both sides of the fence, but really,
what’s the point? I try not to punish the offence –
though I do give them consequences – but instead address the
heart behind the behavior.


But I gotta be honest here, it gets kind of tiring. Does EVERY
freaking minute have to be a Teachable Moment?


A little peace on Earth here, please. Or at least take it down to
Defcon 3.