Hey Sister! Yo Brother!

Studying sibling relations has become a bit of a past time for me. Now that I've sort of been able to get past the pesky arguments, it's kind of fun to see how my (nearly) 13 year old daughter and 8 year old son can come together on a few topics...

=> Harry Potter. Although one prefers to read it and one prefers to watch it.
=> Star Wars. Although one lives it and one just appreciates Lucas's imagination.
=> Rock Music. They tolerate each other's playlists just fine, but I think one prefers the dirtier lyrics of Nickelback and the other prefers the strong female-led Paramore.
=> Art! Both of our kids inherited a recessive gene and have a great ability to draw and paint. (This assessment is coming from quite possibly the worst sketch artist in the universe.)

Don't get me wrong - there's plenty of of schisms in the household. Vegan vs Meat-eater. Food Network vs Cartoon Network. And of course, the never-ending "GIVE IT. IT'S MY TURN!!!"

But the similarity between Cole and Alex that makes me most proud is each of their ability to show kindness. This trait has been particularly exacerbated lately. Our family is going through a tough time with my dear Grandma dying of cancer. Many relatives are back and I have never been more proud of the kids and their show of affection to people they rarely see.

See this photo? I didn't even tell them to sit together. Just happened to catch them like that...It's where Harry Potter and Star Wars intersect...

Recipe for Peace Negotiations

I'm an only child. So it's been interesting for me to watch the interplay between Alex and Cole. For the most part, they get along well. But it's starting to become a long summer between an 11-year old girl and a 6-year old boy. Alex has had to hear an awful lot about superheros (especially a fearful fascination of The Joker, which will come up in another blog) and Cole has had to endure much about clothes and decor for a new bedroom. Commonly-heard comments in the house right now?

"Cole! Quit! Oh, my gosh! You are so full of yourself." Along with the standard roll of the eyes. or

"Alex! You always do that! Quit chewing your food so loud." With a gruff slide to the next chair.

The other day the argument was getting heated. Tears were starting to roll. I remembered this trick my friend Amy taught me.

"Kids!Come here."

They astutely came into the living room.

"Now, face each other and hug. You can't quit until I say so." (I think Amy uses the hand-holding method which works well too.)

They groan. But they oblige me. Within seconds they are laughing. It works everytime!

Last night a water fight turned ugly, as I predicted it would. (Cole overstepped his boundaries when he drenched Alex wearing a favorite vest. Never mind that she drenched him first.)They ran in the house bickering. I stopped the chatter in a second with my "Stop! Enough! You knew that was going to happen!" Then I walked into the living room and pulled up the laptop to show the kids something funny I had seen on the Internet. They needed a laugh to break up the tension. So, I called them in.

They walked in with their heads down. Cole spoke, "We already did it."

"Did what?"

"We hugged."

Now, isn't that sweet? I wonder what would happen if we made a few world leaders hug?