Is the Ice Princess Thawing

I must confess a bit of inferiority complex when I read all of these end-of-year family newsletters that people send us. I pay special attention to the ones involving multiple kids, wondering if I can find some camaraderie in the difficulty that is juggling two or more, some affirmation that it's hard and that we're not the ones who are hopelessly bumbling. Alas, this year, every single such case sounded the same theme: the kids adore one another. The older kid dotes on the younger, and the younger is all about the older.

Such is not the case in our household. Aaron is quite fond of Jada, but hasn't quite figured out how to respect her space, much to her chagrin. Jada's countenance towards Aaron usually ranges from tolerating his co-existence to shooing him away as if he was a pesky fly. Amy tells me she can now even tell from a distance that Aaron's gotten too close for Jada's comfort, as Jada has a special tone of voice for such calamities.

Fear not, there are signs of detente. Jada has, on more than one occasion during Aaron's most recent illness, actively sought to make him laugh. Increasingly, she'll share with him: to be sure, it's usually because she's on to something else, or because she wants something of his, but sometimes it seems genuine enough for us to claim a small victory. Perhaps the ice princess is thawing a bit.

So maybe some day they'll be best buds. Or we could totally see this continuing for a little bit longer: Jada rolling her eyes at Aaron's presence, Aaron "accidentally" bopping Jada with a stray drumstick, the two of them pleading to us in their own special ways to make the other person stop. Whatever; as long as they respect one another, stick up for one another, and have love for one another, I think I can put up with a little sibling rivalry.