For anyone who had been blessed with raising girls, you know the sweetness and joy that comes with it. I have been blessed with raising three girls. Here’s what I’ve learned looking back:
Embracing their personalities
For the most part, my daughters who were about 2 1/2 years apart, got along well growing up. A few scuffles would pop up now and then when one would want a particular Barbie or when deciding who was going to be the teacher when playing school. My oldest, Emily, was and still is the mother hen of the three, wanting to make everything ok, but also asserting her eldest sister role. Madeline, the middle daughter is definitely my most headstrong and independent…it’s her way or the highway! My youngest, Hanna, is the carefree, fly-by the-seat-of-her-pants child, but could throw a tantrum like no other when warranted!
When I was in elementary school, I can remember being compared to my siblings by teachers, recalling the exact words, “You are nothing like your brother! You are nothing like your sister!” Nope. I wasn’t then and I am not now. My daughters were not the same person either. They had their own personalities (strong ones at that!) and it took me awhile to figure that out.
Hormones a Flyin’!
Siblings fight. That’s just what they do. Car rides could be torturous, with hand slapping, crying, and yells of, “Mom! make her stop looking at me!” for endless miles. That was child’s play compared to the mind-bending agony of the tween years. Imagine one girl in the house with hormones a flyin’…scary, right? Now imagine three girls “taking flight” at the same time! Yikes! Trying to referee these moments could be tricky. I had to find a way to reason with a screamer, one with a dead-pan face, and one crying, all at the same time.
From Barbies to UGGS
Clothes soon became the catalyst for their arguing. Who would’ve thought a pair of American Eagle jeans could hold so much power? I didn’t need an alarm clock in the morning, instead, waking up to the piercing sound of one of them screaming, “Take it off! You can’t wear that – it’s mine!” I have to give props to my youngest. Her sneaky ways would finally have purpose! She would “steal” her sisters’ clothes while one was in the shower and the other was putting her make up on downstairs. She would slip them on, putting her sweat pants and shirt over them, head downstairs, and with only seconds to spare before her bus would turn the corner towards our house, would strip them off at the door running out hoping her sisters wouldn’t catch her.
One morning she decided to press her luck with her sister’s new UGG boots. Someone must have put holy water in her Cheerios, because she obviously felt invincible! Same story…the duck and run method. Except this time, big sister was waiting for her! Hanna sprinted out the door, like a runner out of the blocks. Madeline tackled her from behind by one foot, being dragged across the snowy yard. Hanna squirmed her way out of her sister’s desperate grasp and was able to break free. Oh…did I mention the school bus was sitting there watching the whole thing go down? Pretty sure there was some illegal betting of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on the bus on who would win! At that point, all I could do was shrug my shoulders and give a wave to the bus driver.
Now For The Good News…
Daughters are dramatic. There is just no way around it. My poor husband. Now I finally understand why he holed himself up in the basement for hours on end, only venturing upstairs for food and potty breaks!
Yes, girls will fight. They will fight over toys, clothes, who gets the last scoop of ice cream…you get it, right? My household was full of the drama that girls can endlessly provide, but it was also full of the joy, laughter, kindness, and love that being sisters provides. My daughters still have very different personalities and ways of thinking, but they are able to corral all that energy now into productive conversations with each other instead of chasing each other around the house screaming.
Mothers of multiple girls, don’t fear! The silly fighting ends eventually and they will soon become each others’ best friends!
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