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As my two (current) children don’t live in the same house and interact on a daily basis, I’m always kind of nervous when we get together for a visit. Will Nick respond well to the Munchkin’s antics? Will the Munchkin ignore Nicholas? Will they get along? Will they fight? What if Nick pulls her hair? What if the Munchkin pushes Nick?
Those worries always pulse through my veins in the days leading up to one of our visits. Dealing with situations that do go awry can be hard when you’re a birth parent. Obviously, one of those children is my parent child; I can tell him, “No, don’t bite your sister.” Yet, can I tell the Munchkin, who is not my everyday parented child, “No, don’t push Nicholas off the slide?” While I know that D has given me permission to keep all three children from killing one another, it’s still a strange boundary to cross. In fact, mentally it’s a strange boundary to have in place! So, needing to cross it feels doubly strange.
Thankfully the kids have played well together thus far. Minus lacking patience while waiting for the others to climb the slide ladder and go down, we haven’t really had an issue just yet. (We’re prepared.) In fact, we’re always quite surprised that Nicholas integrates into the family quite well. JD and the Munchkin play with each other on a daily basis. They’re used to one another, as siblings and as playmates. Nicholas, whose younger brother isn’t yet born, does most of his playing with me, his Dad or the occasional friend at church or at the library. Yet, when they get together, things seem to work out. Nick does sometimes go off on his own to play but, truth be told, so do JD and the Munchkin. He doesn’t seem overwhelmed by their presence and they seem to welcome him into their playgroup.
In fact, they play like real siblings as made evident in the above picture. Nicholas loves to climb in anything: boxes, laundry baskets, suitcases. He likes the process of climbing in and out. So, of course, as a big tub was sitting in the living room, Nick took his blanket and climbed on in. Without missing a beat, the Munchkin saw her opportunity and seized it! She picked up the tub’s lid and started to put it in place. Nick eventually sat down and let her put the lid on (which we didn’t let her secure because we really have no desire to suffocate poor Nick)! Laughter rang from both kids as the lid was removed and Nick said, “Boo!”
These are things that would happen if the Munchkin was a daily presence in our lives. Instead, I cherish these moments when we are visiting. They’re bittersweet for me. I love knowing that my children do interact well but it stings knowing that my son could know his sister better if things had been different. In the end, it’s always a great time to watch the kids play together.
Honestly, love is watching your kids play together without killing one another.
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For More Love Thursday, read:
1. Love Thursday: Nature and Nurture.
2. Love Thursday: Daddy and Daughter.
3. Love Thursday.
That’s adorable.