Aaron Crying

When Aaron cries, I'm always a little torn as to how it should play out in front of Jada.  I'm not naturally an empathetic person, so it doesn't often come to my mind to respond sensitively, so Jada learns that she should be the same when someone is hurting.  But I probably should, right?

In fact, if anything, I usually try to not make a big deal out of it, explaining to Jada that Aaron is crying because he's a baby and he doesn't have words like she does.  Because what I don't want Jada to learn is that if you can cry as loud as Aaron, you can get whatever you want. 

So it's always a bit delicate.  All Aaron has is crying, so we want to respond to him so he learns how communication works, and that the world is not just one big chaotic ball.  But we're also trying to get Jada past babyish forms of communications, ignoring her when she goes there and responding only when she uses means more appropriate to her age. 

I should trust our kids will eventually figure out these differences.  But it always adds a layer of complexity every time Aaron cranks up the crying when Jada's around.