It’s been awhile since I’ve written about life with two kids this age – mostly because things are so busy that it’s hard to take the time to stop and reflect! But I’ll quickly take the time now and say that there are real pros and cons of life with the girls these days, and with their difference in age.

The pros: In terms of day-to-day stuff, things continue getting easier. The girls are both pretty self-sufficient – able, obviously, to get ready for school, get their own breakfast, bathe themselves, etc. Zoe also makes her own lunch (and Avery helps packs hers) at least a day or two a week. On the weekends, they let us sleep in (a little) by snuggling up on the couch and turning on a show or two. And the other morning, I even headed out to work out while their dad was still sleeping. I gave them a little to-do list – eat breakfast, take showers, don’t wake up their dad – and they were both like, “Okay, Mommy – sounds good.” As I was walking down the street, I was marveling how much easier this stage is than when they were, say, toddlers. Leaving them has never been so easy!

The cons: Though the girls (luckily) get along fairly well and play with each other a lot, a 2.5-year age difference means their interests are going to differ at times – which can lead to tough moments. Zoe, for example, often wants to be left alone to read – something Avery doesn’t always understand. She’ll pester her sister, which leads to conflict, which then leads to one of them coming to me or Q complaining. On other occasions, I’ll be working with Zoe on her homework and Avery will (understandably) feel left out and become disruptive or start complaining that she’s bored. I can’t be in two places at once, or (very easily) do two things at once – so that can lead to some frustration (for me and Avery), too. I’m always sensitive to the little sibling’s feelings – so often, they’re in the older child’s shadow – but on the other hand, there are times when Zoe’s schoolwork just has to be the priority.

Really, though, the pros far outweigh the cons – and it doesn’t hurt how close the girls are. Just last night I asked Zoe, who had commented on how her sister sang herself to sleep and how cute it was, whether she liked Avery.  Zoe replied, “I don’t like her – I love her! In fact, I adore her.”

-M

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 12th, 2014 at 8:15 am and is filed under 83. Two kids-Jan-March14. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.