While I have commented in the past that I don't feel like I spend either adequate or equal amounts of time with my two boys, I always make every effort to spend time with each of them. This week I had a nasty chest cold that sidelined me from work for a couple of days, days which I spent sleeping at home. I pretty much kept to my bedroom in part not to infect the boys, and in part to make the day as normal to them as possible.
However, whenever I went downstairs - to eat, say - they would fight over my attention. If I am holding Mike, Mitch wants to be picked up, if I am playing with Mitch, Mike will crawl over and start calling Daddy. At one point I took Mitch to the bathroom, and Mike started screaming when I left the room.
I decided to try to get Mike to start walking by coaxing him from the safety of his 'cruising' props. This of course caused Mitch to bite Mike - once on each day. Obviously he was punished, and that night I had a conversation with him about biting and brothers. I told him how much fun it was playing with my brother Yussie when we were little, and that we never fought - all the while thinking about the times that I kicked the crap out of my brother.
Interestingly, when I told this to my mom, she said she doesn't remember all of the fights, but the good stuff - how we played together with our legoes, playmobil and other toys, how we played sports and sang together.
Hopefully when I look back in 25 years from now, I will have more of those memories too.
However, whenever I went downstairs - to eat, say - they would fight over my attention. If I am holding Mike, Mitch wants to be picked up, if I am playing with Mitch, Mike will crawl over and start calling Daddy. At one point I took Mitch to the bathroom, and Mike started screaming when I left the room.
I decided to try to get Mike to start walking by coaxing him from the safety of his 'cruising' props. This of course caused Mitch to bite Mike - once on each day. Obviously he was punished, and that night I had a conversation with him about biting and brothers. I told him how much fun it was playing with my brother Yussie when we were little, and that we never fought - all the while thinking about the times that I kicked the crap out of my brother.
Interestingly, when I told this to my mom, she said she doesn't remember all of the fights, but the good stuff - how we played together with our legoes, playmobil and other toys, how we played sports and sang together.
Hopefully when I look back in 25 years from now, I will have more of those memories too.
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