Becoming Sisters
As a parent with more than one child, my greatest hope for my children is that they develop a strong sense of belonging and a deep bond with their siblings. I look at the relationship my husband has with his brother and sister in a longing way. I am separated from my siblings by a large age gap and often felt more like their mom then their sister.
My brother lived here for a time, I think that only deepened this mothering feeling.. well it also fostered a feeling of disbelief that we could be related, raised in the same house and yet have such different views of the world.
My sister now lives near by and I have been enjoying spending time with her, forming that bond that I wish we always had. I can call her night or day if I need to talk, need some help or just want to see her. I hope she realizes that she can do the same. Last night, was the first time I saw a glimmer of this kind of relationship blooming between my girls.
At nearly 3 1/2 Tessa refuses to use the toilet. I had every intention on allowing this to ride for a few more months, considering all the changes in our home. I figured I could suck it up and deal with poop detail until we were all more settled in, Tessa decided to push her luck though.
Recently she has become gleeful whenever she has pooped her pants, telling us that we HAVE to change her with a malicious little laugh thrown in for good measure. Last night she ordered her father to change her. He picked her up, placed her in the tub and handed her a box of baby wipes.
“You are a big girl, change yourself”
Panic set in and Tessa transformed from a gloating little sprite into a foamy lathered up lunatic. The very notion that she should wipe her own behind was preposterous and terrifying. She screamed, she shrieked, she cried and in the end Mira - the child who would rather pull up her underpants without wiping her own butt lest she risk getting poop on her hands which in her mind may never wash off- offered to help.
“Don’t cry sissy, I wipe your butt”
And she did.
At bed time they climbed into the same bed. We kissed and snuggled, leaving the room with the warning to sleep, not talk, or they will be separated. As I switched off the light Tessa’s little voice piped up.
“Thank you for helping me sissy, I love you”
My eyes glistened with tears as I listened for Mira’s response…
“SHHHH Quiet!”
February 27th, 2007 at 3:40 am
Awww! How cute! Thanks for the nice comment, btw. And congrats on the new addition, he is adorable. I’m at T minus 6 days and counting.
February 27th, 2007 at 3:59 am
Ooooohhhh! That nearly made me cry!
February 27th, 2007 at 2:49 pm
That is so sweet!
Don’t worry, my sister and I HATED each other while growing up. Now we are best friends!
February 27th, 2007 at 4:17 pm
That is such a sweet story!
February 27th, 2007 at 10:21 pm
How sweet. My two sets of girls have that bond also. My sister is 20 years younger than me. I mother her and she bonds with my two teenage girls…go figure.
February 27th, 2007 at 10:47 pm
Wow, that is a HUGE step for Mira. You must be so proud, girl. That is awesome. Thank God you can blog these memories.
February 28th, 2007 at 2:14 am
That is really sweet!
February 28th, 2007 at 2:05 pm
I LOVE it!! (and I love Mira’s response!)
February 28th, 2007 at 5:14 pm
Who knew? Sisters bonding over poo…
LMAO
February 28th, 2007 at 9:28 pm
I can’t decide whether to be frightened - for that scene seems awfully prophetic for me - or to keep laughing myself silly. I especially love the line about “You’re a big girl; change yourself!” I may need to use that in another year.
March 4th, 2007 at 4:15 am
I hope the same for my girls. My sister and I were very, very close. She was my best friend growing up and well into our adult years. I’m still aching on a daily basis from her death. My little ones are best friends now and I hope they have the same bond that we did.
I know that potty training is probably the last thing on your mind. We had a tough time with Bunny. She seemed to fear the toilet.
You may have already tried these things, but here’s what worked for us. After doing this, she was fully potty trained within one week.
We first put her potty in front of the tv.
Then we wrapped up a bunch of inexpensive gifts (you can get them at the dollar store) and showed them to her. At first I told her that when she sat on the potty she could get one. I did that a few times and put on a show she liked while she sat there. Then I started telling her that if she peed on the potty she could have one. I’d put her there every few hours- no diapers on her at all in the day- and it worked.
I hope this helps you.