The annoying sibling argument

We’ve recently entered a new phase of bickering and whining – otherwise known as siblings annoying each other. The sing-song notification from my five-year old that her three-year-old brother is bugging her has become a new, but very common occurrence in our house.

“Mommy, Ian is bugging me,” hollers Katrina.

“Baby poo poo, baby poo poo,” sings Ian.  

“MOMMY, Ian is ANNOYING me. Make him stop.”

“BABY poo poo, BABY POO POO, BABY POO POO,” sings Ian, projecting his voice as loud as possible.

“MOMMY!!!!”

I often feel like I’m the referee in the ring. Stepping between two prize fighters, I send them back to their separate corners, while avoiding flying jabs, kicks, and verbal insults.

“If you two can’t play nicely together, go find something to do by yourselves,” I suggest. Off they go. Silence follows for a whole five minutes and then…..

“Mommy, Nana hit me in me tummy,” Ian cries.

“Well, he didn’t respect my quiet time,” Katrina defends.

I always knew I wanted more than one kid and I didn’t even entertain the option of having an only child – I had to negotiate for a long time with my husband for the go-ahead for baby number two. I had an older brother growing up and although we didn’t always get along, he was always there. I wanted my kids to have that too, but I think I was deluding myself if I thought there wouldn’t be any bickering. Since this is only the beginning, I’m sure I’m in for a few more years of fighting, but I’m hoping they find a mutual respect for each other and enjoy each other’s company at some point during their childhood.