The Love of Siblings And Family

This is a guest post written by Brandy Tanner from Happily Blended. Brandy writes daily about a variety of family friendly and work at home topics on her NH Mom blog.

I drive up to the school to park in line to wait for my children who will be getting out of school shortly. The three-year old is happily playing his Leapster 2 game and sharing his proud moments of accomplishment when he matches two shapes on the chicken matching game download. The next forty minutes waiting at the school are slightly amusing, the three-year old laughing and being the silly goose he always is and me watching all of the other parents, people watching I like to call it. Then the time comes for school to be let out and the yard fills with children of all ages standing with their teachers looking out to find their parent so they can head home for family fun.

As I take my children into the car, my first question is always “how was your day”. This is a question I know will rarely be answered in that moment for my children usually discuss their days over our dinner at the family dining room table. The most I will get for an immediate response from my children is “I don’t know” or “good”. I don’t know why it is I always ask how the children’s days were, because I know the routine of dinner table conversation and how they are not into talking about school as soon as it lets out. The kids are ready to come home and play with their little brother after school, not report into their mom about their days.

I accept this as a normal childhood experience and enjoy the smiles of my children’s faces as they see me there ready to bring them home. When arriving home I enjoy the laughter, the quarrels and all that comes with having three children in the home who love each other but also get on each others nerves. As I work on washing dishes to get ready for dinner time I decide that their sound of playtime is much better than any music I could put on in the kitchen to do my chores. I hear the children argue over who can ride the PlasmaCar first and who will chase who. I listen to the rules my oldest sets for her two little brothers.

I giggle quietly upstairs, for my daughter reminds me so much of myself at that age with all of her leadership qualities. The three-year old boy will usually follow any rule his sister sets, so as they play I can hear the little one obeying the rules and then hear that the middle child, first born son, isn’t too keen on all of these rules during playtime so he runs up the stairs to complain. Walking downstairs I find myself grinning because my five-year old son is complaining about something my younger sister often complained about me in those younger years; the leading, bossing and well, rule setting during playtime.

It’s not too difficult to get the kids back on track of laughing and playing, my daughter happily agrees to try not to set too many rules and just have fun being a kid. The boys are happy, my daughter is happy and in turn I am happy because my children love each other, even when times get tough between them.

~Connect with Brandy from Happily Blended, on Twitter and Facebook! Thanks for Guest Posting Brandy!!!!~