The storied green-eyed monster, jealousy, has invaded our house.
Sure, Blue Eyes and Brown Eyes have been vying for the same toys for a long time. I remember the first time I saw them squirming towards the same rattle. They were almost 8 months old, and I thought it was so cute…I ran and grabbed my camera.
Of course that has evolved into all-too-regular (and not-so-cute) fits of screaming and crying over one coveted plaything (sometimes – unfortunately – punctuated by biting and hair pulling if Mom isn’t standing right there). I can usually diffuse the situation by reminding the girls in my “Mommy voice” to “play nicely together.” I might point the girls towards other toys altogether, or – if we have a duplicate toy available – I might help the “scorned baby” find it.
Although I grew up an only child who never had to share (just ask my husband, whose clothes were long ago relegated to the hall closet!), I know this is all just part of growing up.
What I didn’t anticipate was how jealous the girls seem to be of each other as of late.
Baby A is considerably more prolific than Baby B…meaning she gets a lot more attention in the dirty diaper department. When I go to change A’s diaper, even if B’s is perfectly clean and dry, Baby B often gets a very worried look in her sweet blue eyes. She’ll begin feverishly gesturing towards her diaper, exclaiming, “Di! Di! Di!” I will make an exaggerated check of B’s diaper to confirm it doesn’t need changing, but B often requires a little extra snuggling to return to her business.
At night when I apply a certain moisturizing cream to A’s face, I often pretend to put some on B’s face, too.
What took the cake for me, though, happened over the past several days. I had to give Baby A eye drops, three times a day, as part of the summer colds they both had. (A is more prone to tear duct blockage, while B’s eyes remained clear.) At the mere mention of the word “drops”, B would start pointing to her eye. “Eye! Eye! Eye!” Even as A was squirming and fussing, trying to avoid getting her eye drops, B was pleading for them with all her might.
Seriously??? You want eye drops???
From B’s behavior, you might not guess that both the girls get infinite hugs, kisses, shoulder rides, tickles, cuddles, books read, puppets played with, blocks stacked, and cars pushed.
I guess I didn’t realize that there was a line for diaper changes and eye drops on the scorecard.
Ticker
