it's a hard knock life

Let me explain something about Isabel. She is a screamer/yeller/loud noise maker. I remember wheeling my newborn twins in their beds down the hallway of the hospital. Every tiny bump caused Isabel to startle and wail loudly. Alex just slept peacefully. When we brought them home, our days and nights were filled with Isabel's loud crying. Since they slept next to each other, she would often cry loudly into Alex's face, and he would, again, just sleep peacefully. Around 10 months she stopped being difficult. She was the sweetest little thing on the planet. She could do no wrong in our eyes. Alex became the difficult one. He would bite her and knock her down and get in lots of trouble for hurting precious, innocent Isabel.

This continued through the years, until I finally caught on to Isabel's deviousness. I would catch her whispering things to Alex to make him upset, so he would yell or hit her and then be the one that got in trouble. One day I was watching her secretly while she demonstrated to someone how she could wail and cry on cue. Big mistake. Since then I have had very little patience or sympathy for her loud crying. I have stopped trying to decipher if it is real or not. When she starts up, I usually tell her to go to her room, so I don't have to hear the sounds coming out of her mouth. This is why she gave me the Christmas present that she'll "TRY to stop yelling at Alex" because she knows it drives me up the wall.

So the other night, I heard them fighting over the computer. They're always fighting about something, and I have a hard time supressing the desire to strangle them. They each came to me individually to plead their case. I am SO OVER policing their fights. I told them to work it out themselves, and was feeling good about that decision. "They have to learn how to resolve their conflicts without my help," I thought to myself, like a wise old sage of a mother would. I don't know what I expected them to do - have a Dr. Phil-style session of mirroring feelings? "I hear what you are saying. You think it is your turn on the computer. I respect that feeling and will take it into consideration." Nope, that's not what happened. Isabel decided to swap her yelling for hardcore violence. Alex was sitting in the computer chair, and she pushed it over with so much force, that he slammed his face into the glass computer desk and chipped his front permanent tooth.




At least she felt really bad about it afterwards. She put her piggy bank on my pillow with a note that said, "Take all money." I feel confident that her $5 in coins will cover this dental bill. Next time I'll just tell them to fight to the death.