They fight with one another.

They scratch. (Always had to check their nails.)

They wrestle.

They push.

They pull.

They slap.

They pinch.

They squeeze.

They show monkey faces.

They argue with one another.

“I don’t like you.”

“Me first”….”No! me first”

“This is mine!”

“I don’t want you.”

“Go away.”

“I don’t want to play with you.”

They threatened each other.

“You bully me….I go tell mommy.”

“Don’t give you sweet sweet.”

“Don’t give you drink jelly.”

“Don’t give you stickers.”

“Don’t let you use my crayon.”

They love each other.

They hug.

They kiss.

They pat on the head.

They share their food.

They share their toys.

They play together.

They laugh together.

They play tricks on the parents together.

They protect each other when another kid bullies one of them.

They caress the wound of the injured one.

They help each other to get what the other desires.

They coax each other.

They encourage each other.

We used to break their fight every other minute. But as they grow, their little minds mature, the frequency of fights decreases and the length of the arguments shortened.

We often need to remind them that each other is all they have when we (parents) are gone. Love each other. Spend time playing together is more fun than causing the other to bleed and be in pain. Time is short, spend the time you have with each other smiling and laughing rather than glaring. I guess when such words are repeatedly said over so many times a day, a week, a month, a year, it does take effect on their behaviour.

They are never too young to learn, its the parents who thinks they are too young.

They fight furiously for a few seconds, minutes later, they are laughing together. Isn’t that what siblings are all about?