Addendum to the Previous Post

I wrote the previous post while Aiden was at school on Wednesday. When I went to pick him up, I ended up chatting with one of the other moms for a while and the subject of the sibling rivalry and behavior issues came up. It turns out that her oldest two sons (now teenagers) are the exact same age difference that Aiden and Nathan are. While she didn't have much in the way of advice, she was able to offer some much-needed encouragement.

She told me that her boys did the exact same things that Aiden and Nathan are now doing and she said it's just what happens when you've got two boys at that age span. She added that she has only ever had boys so she has no clue if girls do the same thing (probably not!), but that's it's just a stage that they will go through. Yes, it will drive me insane. Yes, it will take every single ounce of patience I possess to keep from screaming at them (and even then, I will still probably lose it occasionally). She said that it was one of the most stressful parenting times she has ever experienced (even with having two teenagers). She reassured me that I am doing nothing wrong and the way they are acting is not being caused by anything I'm doing.

I needed that reassurance from someone who had been there. And having met her sons, I can tell you that they are some of the most polite, kind, mature boys I've ever seen. Her 15 year old acted years beyond his age and I am still incredibly impressed. I can only hope for my boys to act with such maturity and respect when they are older. It lets me know that there's plenty of hope for my kids yet!