Why we don't eat our young...

Anna and Julia fight with much greater frequency than they get along. Julia takes advantage of Anna's easy going nature, and then Anna responds by menacingly lashing out and asserting her independence. This leads to Julia, with her sensitive nature, having a meltdown and Anna dancing about laughing at the wreckage and then going merrily on her way.

I cherish those little moments when their bond as sisters creates a momentary truce and something beautiful happens. I love it. It gives me hope that someday down the line, they will truly be friends.

Tonight, Anna was so sweet. We chose not to let Emma or Anna see Julia in her bloody state, since both girls empathize with Couvade like intensity. So, although we explained that Julia had "owies" we didn't get into details. Later Julia and Anna were fighting over answering the phone and Anna kicked Julia - right in the face. It sounds difficult to do, but Julia was laying on my bed and Anna was sitting next to her. Julia freaked, as she should since I knew it was painful. Anna was non-plussed by this reaction and continued to assault her sister. I brough Anna into my office and talked to her in detail about Julia's injuries. I showed her the pictures so that I could point out exactly where she was hurt (without having Julia being involved) and to make clear that she give Julia a wide berth.

So, Anna comes back into my office no less than 2 minutes later. She is carrying a peice of my printer paper, one of my pens and a drawing she made of Julia. She demanded I "do writing" on the top. Then she said she would sign her own name. (I had no idea she knew how, and was impressed she was so close!).

Then after showing Julia she brought it to me to "do more writing". Anna then dictates a 5 minute addition telling Julia how much she loves her, that she's her favorite big sister ("you wrote BIG right?"), how she is hurt but she will be better, that she won't hit her in the face until she's better, and that her family and sisters and friends love her because she is so nice SOME of time. She went on and on. Then she demanded I read it for her approval. With fresh content, she presented it again to Julia. Then they laid on the bed and watched TV until bedtime.

I know. AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW.