When Fun Trumps Rules

Sorry for the short post today...Carter, Grace, and I are all under the weather. Allergy-related, we think. But still no fun. And no energy. And have I mentioned no voice? Lost it this morning.

Anyway, as I've mentioned, Carter and Grace have had a little more sibling rivalry over the last week. Carter has realized he doesn't like sharing his toys. Or her toys. And Grace has decided the best way to escape her brother's bear hugs (which can be a little strangling) is to bite him. Over the past few days, there haven't been many moments of cooperation or connection between them other than their temporary happy greetings in the morning and after nap. This is normal, I know.

Well, tonight they were sitting at the kitchen table eating their dinner. I was distracted by emptying the dishwasher. Suddenly, I heard them giggling. I looked over to see both of them smearing their ketchup all over the table. My gut reaction was to yell at them to stop and discipline them for playing with their food and creating a huge mess.

But something stopped me. I realized that for the first time in several days, Carter and Virginia Grace were getting along. They had made a connection, and they were having a blast. And I made the quick decision to slip out of the room and let them carry on a bit longer with their fun instead of making them stop. Sibling bonding seemed so much more important than teaching rules. It may not have been the best decision in the long run. And it created a whole lot more clean up work for me. But it felt right. And I loved seeing them have fun together!