Friends or Foes...

Friends or Foes...
Originally uploaded by **~Donna~**

When my babies were under 6 they were best little buddies. They were always together, playing and being cute. Always making me smile, rarely stressing me out.

People sometimes look at me like I am crazy, but raising twins up to school age was SO fun for me. Sure, I liked breaks occasionally and some days were rough. But overall I really loved that time with these two kids.

After they started school and started really forming their own sense of self things got harder. They have opinions, they have their own ideas!

They are both SO very different in so many ways.

Moira is the dreamer, the artist, the free spirit. She's easy going. She can be moody, just like most females can. But overall she's just an easy going, happy spirited kid. She can be stubborn about things. She's also a born charmer. She knows how to flash a smile or give a kiss just as the right time. Overall she is a very easy child to parent.

Matthew is our hard liner. There has to be an answer for everything, there's no gray area in his mind. He's very strong willed and opinionated. He doesn't accept easy answers, he wants specifics and he wants to see the proof. He's a very good kid, very ethical. He is the one you could trust with anything. He's got a strong sense of right and wrong, and he sticks to the rules. That is, the rules he agrees with.

I admit it's harder to parent Matthew. His personality makes it harder on both of us, as parents. I think because he really pushes us to our maximum. He questions us on everything, he talks constantly. He is VERY smart. When he latches on to an idea and won't let go he can drive us up the wall. I equate him to a bulldog, he just holds on and persists. LOL

I see more of my personality in him than Michael's. He's strong willed like I am, very intelligent like his father. He'll do well as an adult I think. Moira is laid back like her daddy!

Keeping in mind that he and I will butt heads I always try extra hard with him. My father and I butted heads my entire childhood. I try to laugh off as much as I can.

Parenting two kids that are so very different has given me varying perspectives on parenting. There are no hard lines, there are no steadfast rules. You do your best and make mistakes. Learn from the mistakes. I laugh when I need to. I poke fun at myself and I have also used some times I am frustrated with the kids to poke fun at the situation.

Both of them are growing with a great sense of humor. They also know they have flaws, like we all do. Matthew can look at me sometimes and say "I'm talking too much and driving you nuts, huh?" and I can look at him and say "Oh yeah, you are" and we both start laughing.

That's what I want, honestly and humor. I want them to be honest with me, and I want to be honest with them.

We all know we are imperfect in this house, but we love one another- flaws and all.

This photo was taken of them tonight. They wanted to sleep in Moira's room together. They either love each other or want to run away from one another.

I truly hope they grow realizing we love them both equally and that the sibling rivalry is low. I want them to love each other and be friends. They are likely to be it for each other, sibling wise.

They have their moments of friendship and play still, and I know they love each other. It's a sweet thing.