I forgot to note that Xander and Nick have been playing together so much more lovingly. It is marvelous. We still hear cries and shouts at each other, but there are several tender moments and friendly play times throughout the day. I brought them to the playground today and it was nice to see how they played together. Previously, they played separately on playgrounds, but today they did almost everything as a pair.
Later in the afternoon, Xander asked Nick to sit down on the floor next to him to watch him play "Lord of the Rings" with some figures. Nick did! He sat very nicely for a long time to watch his brother. I had to smile when he had moved to the couch to look at his books and Xander kept calling out to him a play-by-play. Xander would ask, "Did you see that?" and Nick would answer, "Yes," in a motherly-chipper-I'm-doing-something-else-but-still-responding-to-you way. He's got me down pat. Then Xander would call out another lengthy detail about what he was doing and Nick would say, "O-o-oh," in that same tone of voice.
A week or so ago, I introduced a little "family fun unit" about super-siblings (that I found online). It included a story with cut-out figures, an activity, and an ongoing supplemental activity. First we heard a story about someone standing up for his sibling and decided when a character in the story was acting like a "big bully" and when someone was acting like a "super-sibling." Then we brainstormed ways to be a super sibling. Then we drew pictures of some of those ways. I put out a decorated jar and told them that every time I saw one of them being a super-sibling I would put an M&M in the jar. When it was full, we would get to have a family board game night and they would get to pick all the games we played.
The super-sibling jar has been filling up. Usually, there are between three and seven M&Ms put in per day. I will have to use larger candy soon so they can see more progress. M&Ms are so small. :)
So I have seen progress in their sibling relationship since that unit. I'm not sure how much the unit has to do with it, but it was well worth doing.
Tonight Nick reminded me that he had to say good-night to Xander. They gave each other very nice hugs and kisses.
Xander just told me a joke. He is on the cusp of telling jokes that are actually funny instead of just phrases he wanted to say.
"What did 0 say to 8?"
"Nice tie!"
One of his favorites right now, besides knock-knock jokes:
"What says 'a ha ha ha ha ha plonk'?"
"A man laughing his head off."
That's awesome. Perhaps a (clean) kids' joke book is in order! I remember having several when I was a kid. They were so much fun! And Nick's mimicking you- I can just hear it now! I love that Xander is so into his own stuff that he doesn't even realize he's being "Mommed" by his little brother! :)
ReplyDeleteHaha, that's exactly how it is. I remember a couple of years ago on the Google group that Penny was working with her 4- or 5-year-old on appropriate times to talk and appropriate times to stop talking. At the time, I thought that was amazing of her (which it was, because she is amazing). Now, I realize it is also a parent survival tactic and a manners lesson that Xander is going to need!! So far, we have gotten to, "Xander, a stranger only wants to listen to about one sentence from you, at the most. So keep it to one sentence." :)
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