Typecasting

I didn't see this one coming. I predicted the sibling rivalry, I knew there would be countless battles over who got the first, last, red, blue, old, new Object-of-Desire-at-Given-Moment - that's just a given with more than one kid in the house. We've dealt with it pretty well, at least I like to think so. Most of the time the boys are able to find a solution to their conflict that doesn't involve injury or "I Hate Yous!" screamed across the house.

What I didn't expect was the bond that I'm seeing develop. The boys are really connected to each other. Much more so than I had ever expected and it's wonderful and strange all at once. The wonderful aspect is fairly obvious. They make each other laugh, they get upset if the other is hurt, they share, they cannot sleep without the other and they play together. I mean really play, and there's not much better than watching what their little minds come up with together.

They clearly have developed a bond. They are a pair now, a united front, a team. The rival? Sydney, the little sister, who else? A few weeks ago the boys were playing a game where they had to get on the ship, which also doubles as their bed at nighttime, and get as far away from the sea monster as they could. About twenty minutes into this game, they landed on a tropical island and their worries over the sea monster had disappeared. But only to be replaced by a new fear of the ever vicious Sydabeast!!!

The game plays out that Sydney sits on the floor, she crawls around and changes her location as babies do, and the boys run in and out of whatever room she is in screaming as if she is running after them with teeth bared and claws extended. The boys make it safely back onto their bed, or the couch (a small boat that they row back to the main ship), rest for a few minutes, discuss where they "HAVE" to go next on the island and then repeat the above scenario. Today at the beach, the boys started playing this again in the water only this time Sydney was "Sydney-Lake-Monster" - their version of Loch Ness Monster. (thank you Scooby Doo, not my Scottish heritage for that one) She played along and splashed while the boys swam around her, and she even growled a few times. That's really more of her means of communication now rather than an attempt to be scary. The boys don't care, it still makes pretending she's a beast more believable in their eyes, they couldn't care less what her methods are to get into character as long as they can make her the villain they run from.

For now, it looks as though Sydney will be cast as the villain in the local games. I think she's going to have a good run. She's got another year at least until she's really got some major words coming out and can start trying to dictate the storyline. I'm certain the three of them have already started working on their bond and we'll just have to wait to see it unfold as Sydney gets bigger. I just hope the boys realize that she may not always want to be the beast...or she may take to the part too well and enjoy scaring her big brothers for years to come. Either way that growl is going to come in handy!

The Sydabeast in her natural habitat. (featuring a bruise from learning to stand * I mean, a gruesome battle)