Playing nice

A small miracle happened yesterday. Ok, maybe that is an exaggeration, but not by much. As much as I would like to tell you that Allison and Lauren are best buddies...two peas in a pod...well, it just isn't so. They are more like polar opposites most of the time. Leave the two of them alone in a room together for more than about a minute and you are likely to have crying, screaming, kicking, you get the idea. I'm not saying it's a constant battlefield in our house, but...well, sometimes it feels like that. Allison is very particular in the way that things are done, and Lauren, well, she just doesn't get it, and it drives Allison nuts! Lauren, on the other hand, I think takes pleasure in pushing Allison's buttons, and it has become a real art for her.

So, here is where the miracle part comes in... Yesterday the two of them actually played together--nicely! They played "princess shop" and dress-up (even danced together)! It was so refreshing to hear happy noises coming from the other room. Not to say there weren't moments, but as a whole, it was pretty great.



As I was putting Allison to bed last night I commended her for the way she and Lauren played together that day. I watched as a lightbulb turned on in her head..."Can I have some money for my piggy bank?" she asked. (She got a piggy bank for her birthday which she has been slowly filling up with pennies and nickels from doing small chores around the house.) "No, Allison, we would just like you to always play nice together with your sister..." Although, as I told Matt later that night, it is pretty tempting...is that all it would take, a nickel a day, for us to get along??