When she was born, our initial concern was that he would be the one to act out, suspicious of a new interloper into the family unit. These fears were unfounded, as he immediately took to his little sister with delight, awed by her cuteness, treating her like a living doll he'd been given as a present.
Her attitude since has been dismissive, bordering on contempt. She's reacted to his hugs as if they're attacks on her person; has angrily refused items he's proffered in generosity; and ground umpteen play sessions to a halt by stealing his toys.
Just last week, at breakfast, he asked us if his cat impression was any good, and uttered what his mum and I thought was a very creditable miaow. Well done, we said, before his sister narrowed her eyes and, through tightened lips, uttered a single, disabusing word on what she thought it sounded like: Dog!
For more than a year now we've tried to manage his expectations by telling him she loves him very much, but in her own way, a claim that becomes harder to defend on those occasions.
#sibling-relationships #child-development #family-dynamics #parenting-experiences #emotional-challenges
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