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Why can't they just be friends?

Why can't my kids just be friends?  I must ask myself this question hundreds of times during the week. 

I thought that having kids relatively close together was going to be great.  They'd have a playmate and an automatic friend.  However, the truth is that - most of the time - they don't get along.  It's not that they're enemies...it's that they drive each other crazy. 

They each want the other one to do what they want to do.  Then, when the other one does what they want, they get mad at them because they wanted to do it themselves.

They don't want to share their toys.  Then, they play together only to then get mad and purposefully break the other sibling's toys.

They want to get the other one in trouble so that they look like the "good" child and get more rewards.  Then they get upset that the other sibling got them in trouble when they *tattled* on them.

At mealtimes, they want to sit where the other one is sitting.  They want the cup the other sibling has.  Their meal has more or less than the other child.

They put the other sibling's toothbrush down the sink drain or in the toilet (which is always fun and easy to get out - *insert sarcasm*).

They cut the other sibling's hair.

They pick and pick and pick at each other, knowing exactly which buttons to push to make the other sibling go over the edge.  Then, they act innocent and like they don't understand why the other person is so upset.

Do your kids do this, too? 

Then, I remember that I did the same thing with my siblings.  It almost makes me want to apologize to my mom...but then that would be admitting that it wasn't always my sisters' faults. ;)



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