Sibling rivalry at its finest
First off let me establish that I love both of my children. Dearly. They are 21 months apart, Evan just turned 4 and Elias is 2. What fun ages, one might think. And when I first got pregnant with Elias, people kept telling me that the boys would be so close in age that they would be best friends.
But have I told you just how charming and sweet they are individually? I don't get much of a chance to hang out with just one of the boys, but when I do, it's so ... peaceful. Refreshing, even. I recently took Evan out for a milkshake and we shared one shake with two straws. Kodak moment right there. And Elias often wakes up before Evan and he can be so sweet and fun to play with.
Together, these moments don't happen as often. We keep trying to reinforce this whole "best friend" thing to Evan (without seeming too forceful), that Elias is his brother and friend for life, so he should treat him nicely. But they can't seem to play nice. Of course I know siblings fight, I'm the youngest of three and I remember the bickering well. But we are struggling with Evan's continued jealousy and his sharing issues.
A toy could be ignored for weeks on end but as soon as his little brother grabs it to play with, Evan either panics or goes into a mini-tantrum. We've even tried to buy Elias a couple more little toys that are his own, but then Evan seems to gravitate toward those things. Everything Elias does, Evan wants. I thought it would be the other way around, given that Evan is older and should be the leader.
Any thoughts, tips? Or should I just resign myself to a lifetime of refereeing?
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