Dueling Pallets

Wow.  Sibling rivalry starts quickly and intensely!  I've seen signs of it before.  Alexa has always been very possesive of me.  If Andrew attempts to hug me, or I attempt to hug him, she screams, "MINE!"  Or retaliates in some other method that may or may not involve the gnashing of teeth or the swinging of hands.   Tonight their squabble was over a spot on the floor.  It all started with this:



It looks harmless enough.  A red bean bag.  How bad can it be?  Well, if you're not the one sitting on it, it can be a real problem!  Just ask Alexa.  Andrew brought it in to sit on and she was crazed with desire.  Oh boy did she want to sit on that bean bag.  But . . . Andrew wasn't really feeling like sharing with her.  (in his defense, she did color all over it, his Batman Cave, and a few other toys with a dry erase marker yesterday).  To placate her, I made her her own spot on the floor.  I brought her a quilt and a few pillows.  She was totally fine with it. 


Well, upon seeing SHE had a pallet, Andrew had to have one as well.  So he dashes to his room to get "supplies."  As soon as he leaves the room, Alexa makes a move for the bean bag.  She's on that thing faster than you can say, "Red Bean Bag."  However, we made her get off it- which surprisingly she was fine with.  Andrew dashes back into the room with every blanket and pillow he can find in his room. 

As an older sibling myself, I see Andrew's ploy.  He's not fooling me.  I see right through his "innocent" little actions.  He decides he's going to make his Super Duper Pallet RIGHT NEXT to Alexa's.  In fact, sometimes his blanket covers Alexa's blanket.  At this point, there is a lot of squawking going on by both parties.  Before someone gets bit, I move Andrew over to one side of the room and put something in between them.  (Alexa bit the hell out of Andrew last night.  She got him right on the stomach and was hanging on like a rabid dog.  Later he said, he learned a lesson from that: Don't trap Alexa in the kitchen.  Smart kid)   

Andrew works like a busy bee to arrange his pallet and Alexa sits on hers watching him.  I have no idea what she was thinking, but I'll tell you what I was thinking:  "Jeez.  Here he goes again, pulling every linen out, to make this awesome spot to lay down on and he won't even lay on it!!!!"   

As soon as he leaves the room to go get more stuff, Alexa jets over to that bean bag.  And again, we chase her off.  They go through this routine 2 or 3 more times.  After the 3rd time, Andrew melts down because Alexa won't get up.  He's hopping around and squawking about how she's ruining everything!!!!!  Doug gets the brilliant idea for Andrew to go sit on her pallet.  As soon as he walks towards it, she leaps up and is screaming at him!!!!!!!!!!!!  Holy cow.  She's gone completely into orbit.  Now she's stomping at him.  Now Andrew's throwing her pillows around.  She's screaming even louder.  He's got her pallet strewn everywhere.

Do you know what I am doing?  I am rolling on the couch, crying, laughing.  What's Doug doing?  The same thing.  What can we say, we're sensitive parents.