Real Siblings

Jada and Aaron are not, of course, biologically related, since one was adopted from China and one from Taiwan. And, for an intermittently long time, Jada was pretty icy to her new little brother. At some point, there was a thaw, and even some genuine times of tenderness and affection between the two.

That didn't last very long. Now they are almost constantly butting heads: fighting over toys, teasing each other, even exchanging blows.

In other words, they have gone from a long ice age to a brief thaw to being real siblings. After all, this is what real siblings, especially ones who are less than two years apart, do: they get upset when they're in each others' space, they're constantly vying for our attention, and they're meaner to each other than anyone else.

And, while I do want them to learn to be nice and to share, I realize that this is a healthy development in the evolution of their relationship. After so many years, I can't help but think they'll end up being very close, as siblings who are close in age and constantly fight are wont to be. And so, notwithstanding having to referee and scold and mediate all the time, I'm OK with this new phase in their life with us.