covet thy brother
I know it is hard to believe, but sometimes my boys annoy each other…
*gasp*
I suspect that whomever coined the phrase “brotherly love” was probably just dreaming.
Dreaming of peace and quiet.
Awhile back, I heard the words “I wish you weren’t my brother” come out of one of their mouths.
I don’t ever remember which one said it.
It stopped me in my tracks.
Three boys were swiftly lined up on the couch and lectured sternly from the pulpit of motherhood with a sermon reflecting back on the collective 27 months I carried them in the womb which brought forth great pain.
Then and now.
A brother is a brother forever.
Enter super cute cousin – Baby Benjamin.
Yes, we all realize that Baby Benjamin is 2 and not really a baby anymore, but no one can bear to drop the baby. Â Especially the boys.
Baby Benjamin is so cute!
Baby Benjamin says funny things!
Baby Benjamin is trying to walk up the stairs…HELP!
It is fun to watch how excited they are about their cousin and how they take delight in everything he does. Â Baby Benjamin can do no wrong.
Rhett(4) on the other hand can do wrong. Â He seems to be the epicenter of irritation these days, it is often the older two team tormenting him due to his original annoying-ness.
The older two told Rhett…
I wish Baby Benjamin was my brother (instead of you is implied).*
*I have to issue creativity points for the positive message of the insult which tries to break the bonds of brotherly love.
To which Rhett echoed back his preference for Baby Benjamin over either of his older siblings.
To which Ryan declared his undying love for the cousin.
Which seemed to be the only thing that they could all agree on at that moment.
To which Reid issued a thorough compare and contrast essay on why a 2 year old brother would be much less ANNOYING than a 4 year old brother.
To which I replied that both Reid and Ryan HAD a 2 year old brother a mere 2 years ago and they didn’t seem happy with the situation then either.
So there.
LOL! I love “the pulpit of motherhood.”
My oldest likes to threaten my youngest by saying “Well, FINE! Then you are not my brother anymore!!” Which sends my youngest into hysterics and makes him go along with whatever his brother wants. I punish the older one & try to convince the younger one that it is not right to give into emotional blackmail. I’ve sat them down a few times & explained that absolutely nothing can change their brotherly status. But I still hear this outside a couple times a week,
Oddly, because my kids weren’t “siblings” until they were 8, 10, and 12…they’re very respectful with each other.
It’s almost….wrong, somehow.
Plus, there’s no Baby Benjamin to drive a wedge between them all.
we have no sibling issues here, but we also have no sibling benefits either, sadly…
I remember my friends’ kids having this very conversation about my son, who was near two when they were about 4 and 6. Apparently, my son would have made a much more desirable brother for both of them too. I think it’s a “grass is always greener” situation. Unfortunately, I have no advice for you about how to remedy it.
Awwww! That is so funny!! As an only child I was always begging for a sibling…but I imagine if I’d gotten one a similar scenario would have occurred:)
It could be worse, like Philadelphia where a taxi driver told me, “Welcome to the City of Brotherly Love. There plenty of brothers but there ain’t no love.” Then again, that was twenty years ago. I’m sure there’s plenty of love now.
You don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone…………and ate ate your crayons when you’ve trying to color.
Nice comeback, mom 😉
That’ll show ’em 😉
I’m still waiting to see some of that brotherly love…mine are 15 and 16 (do I need to say Years, cause it seems like months would be more appopriate with all the bickering).
*sigh* Sibling rivalry is SO AWESOME isn’t it? I’ve got it with my girls, too. Screaming, screeching, yelling and hitting. Such a joy to be in this house sometimes.
My mom always taught me and my brother that no matter what we always had each other, through good or bad. I’m trying to do the same with my two. I’m not at all sure it is working, but I’m trying.
I am so glad I found your blog (through Texan Mama) – I have three boys myself – all pretty little. It’s nice to read of other people’s adventures in parenting!
Kids! I was playing Wii with my nephew (7) and his sister (4) the other day and he was telling her to watch out or she was going to dead (in the game, because she doesn’t know how to work the controller yet) and she said, “Fine! Then I won’t be your sister anymore,” to which he replied, “oh, Evelyn, you’ll be my sister forever!” Brotherly love or a threat? I’m not sure. 🙂
Pulpit of motherhood…. brilliant!
My 9 and 11 year olds reguarly ‘reuin each others lives’…. such is life.
Good stuff!
My kids get along great. aside from the toy stealing, hair pulling, pushing each other off my lap and the ear splitting shrieks that follow. they are great friends. it probably helps that only one can talk in full sentences. They can’t say obnoxious stuff to each other yet.
Cousins are always way better than sblings because they only spend a few hours/days together. I loved your reminder to them-you had a 2 year old brother, two years ago.