Tough Love
We’re all guilty of showing (mostly) picture perfect moments on our blogs, but every parent knows there are other sides to family life as well.
Moments after recording the adorable birthday songs for 할아버지, i let the kids romp around our big bed while preparing their bath and getting their room ready for the night. Tobin had skipped his nap (…) and Mika was pretty tired as well, so the nearly unavoidable “fight over nothing” broke loose. I waited a moment to give them a chance to work it out, then tried to defuse the situation … but they had already moved on to the next level (deaf to constructive advice or raised voice). Short of having to pull them apart, i decided to capture the moment and use it later for educational purposes. And much later for blackmail.
And yes, our kids are still adorable – almost all of the time.
Posted in Daily Musings, Videos
Ryniee responded on May 6th, 2010 at 11:18 pm
This is the most AWESOME video! I have to admit that I laughed so hard I cried. (I won’t do that in front of the kids though if I happen to be witness to it one day.)
ninja responded on May 6th, 2010 at 11:25 pm
Once i looked at them with the eyes of a paleontologist, i laughed pretty hard as well. Had to bite my tongue while filming…
sooki responded on May 7th, 2010 at 2:50 am
I have to say tho, Mika is a really good big sister. She knows better not to pull his hair, scratch him or touch his face.
ninja responded on May 7th, 2010 at 8:36 am
I was proud of those details as well (she raises her hands but doesn’t hit him) … BUT she’s the one who “taught” him how to pinch and scratch in the first place!
The “good big sister” is the result of months of patient intervention and Mika still acts differently when i am out of sight. But more and more often she is able to calm him down on her own and stay out of the fight entirely.
It’s a long, arduous process to turn those little cavemen into socially acceptable and responsible members of our society ;-)
sooki responded on May 7th, 2010 at 11:19 am
Tobin is quite persistent too b.t.w. :P
Jen responded on May 7th, 2010 at 8:06 pm
I like how their lower bodies pretty much stayed at the same position! That’s calculated fighting!
eugenie responded on May 7th, 2010 at 9:46 pm
they really engaged in the moment. neither just walk away – like their minds are locked and have to play it out. ok! i’m ready for a second to experience this awesomeness ;P
Ryniee responded on May 7th, 2010 at 10:25 pm
Yes! Let me correct myself- I’m sure it was NOT so funny at the time. And if I have a second, I’m sure I’ll have to have a few moments (prolly well after the kids are in bed) to appreciate the humor.
Mika is a remarkably self possessed big sister :)
xoxo R
ninja responded on May 7th, 2010 at 10:29 pm
Euge, i have no idea why she doesn’t just get up and leave. The fight would be over in a second! I guess they’re both locked down in their tantrum state of mind, like a broken (screaming) record :-P
Tobin is so little and light weight that he got (physically) knocked around by Mika and his peers until just a couple of months ago … until he discovered the power of pinching. It’s been his weapon of choice since. Mostly used as defense, but also as preemptive strike when a situation is threatening to him. And sometimes, when Mika is acting really annoying, he just walks up to her and gives her a silent pinch as a means to shut her up.
If pinched, Mika freezes and wails dramatically, which prompts more pinching. I advised her to a) calmly pluck his fingers off of her (which she has learned), and to b) WALK AWAY so he doesn’t have a target anymore and to tell him “that she doesn’t play with him if he pinches”. Once she cuts down on the drama, he’ll be far less interested in “pinching her buttons”…
ninja responded on May 7th, 2010 at 10:43 pm
Ryniee – 99.9% of the time, it’s simply annoying because i see the situation building up well in advance and it’s pointless aggravation for everybody involved.
I was about to loose my cool as well, but watching them through the lens gave me the power to distance myself right then and there. Which made it instantly funny this ONE time. Maybe i can summon that smile next time they’re at each other’s throat again…
jeeun responded on May 9th, 2010 at 5:50 pm
you know what, it’s kind of awful but at the same time they’re still gorgeous!!!
darren namaye responded on May 10th, 2010 at 9:01 am
battle of wills here. they will have a good laugh at this when they are much older. love seeing all sides of children. some people do grow out of this. look at the real housewives of nyc!