"Mean to Me"

As with any siblings, my girls squabble over just about anything.

I believe that the more I get involved and the more the girls try to involve me, the worse the squabbling becomes. So, I try hard, to let them work it out.

I will let each of them complain about the other one to me, with only encouragement of how they should fend for themselves. I usually refuse to take sides unless it's obvious that one child clearly behaves poorly or acts too physical. When the complainer approaches me, I often let her sit on my lap so she can tell me her woes.

Most recently, when Dagny becomes upset with Valerie, she will walk toward me, her shoulders slumped forward, lower lip puffed out and say in a soft, sweet voice, "Mommy, Varee mean to me."

She will sit in my lap. I will rub her back. But after a minute or two, she's ready to rejoin the fun.

I turn my attention to some other household task. Within minutes, I often glimpse Valerie darting by in search of refuge. A second later, Dagny usually crosses my path with her arm cocked and ready to strike.