The “STOP killing each other!” phase.

Sibling rivalry definitely beats sleepless nights, nursing troubles and potty training all rolled in together.  It’s an absolute nightmare – enough to make me realize why the majority of people who originally want more kids stop at 2.   I love my kids and have a ton of fun with them – when I have them one-on-one.  As soon as the other one steps in the room, the gloves come off and we are in pure battle.   There is pushing, yanking, biting, hitting, kicking, yelling, screaming – you name it.  I sometimes wonder what would happen if I didn’t step in, and just let them to figure it out.  But I honestly think it would end in a serious injury, it’s like they both (go figure, they’re 4 and not-yet-2) lack the common sense to realize that they are hurting one another.  It’s exhausting.  And it’s frustrating to constantly try to pull them apart and go in different directions with each parent.  We’re a family, we want to spend time together.  But I seriously find I am so overwhelmed lately trying to manage their often-horrific interactions I don’t enjoy spending time with them.

Evelyn is in a particularly tough pinching-and-biting phase.  She does it for no reason, sometimes just walking by Luke she’ll reach out and pinch his arms with both of her hands.  Inevitably, the crying starts and then he lashes out at her, hitting her or something worse, all in front of our eyes as we are scrambling trying to get there fast enough to separate them.  Mealtimes are a disaster, if one gets the particular colored spoon that the other one wants, there is a fit of astronomical proportions, often involving flipped over food dishes and thrashing on the floor.   Seriously – how did we end up like this?  I feel like one of those families on Super Nanny, it’s awful and embarrassing.

Did I mention I am taking both children BY MYSELF next week and flying for 24 hrs on 3 flights including 2 stopovers?  Lets hope this ‘phase’ wears off by Friday.

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