If you have more than one kid...

mamarazzi

When did they start playing together NICELY?  Or playing separately and not caring what the other was doing?

My boys bug each other all.day.long.  They can't go five minutes without DS1 pissing DS2 off and DS2 hitting/biting/screaming/throwing/crying, which leads to DS1 melting down.

If I send one upstairs and one down, inevitably the other wants to be doing what his brother is.  It only makes it worse when I try to get involved and play with them.

The only time they get along well is when they put their heads together to do something naughty together.

DandRAgain

Audrey and Mitch are my "pair".  They fight over EVERYTHING...the arguments where they scream at each other are over STUPID stuff "NOOOO the sky is BLUEEEEE today!"  "Noooooo! I see clouds in the sky!!!"  back and forth...louder and louder until I jump in and say "YOU ARE BOTH RIGHT!  THE SKY IS BLUE WITH CLOUDS!!!!!"  Gah!!! Over and over probably 5 times a day they get into these back and forth screaming matches.

THEN...they fight over EVERY toy..sometimes its the toy Audrey had first...sometimes its the toy Mitch had first...but the other one suddenly wants it.  "ITS MY TOY!" or "I WAS JUST GETTING THAT TOY AND YOU STOLE IT!" or "YOU AREN"T SHARING! YOU'VE HAD THAT TOY ALL DAY!"  until I jump in and remove the toy completely and no one gets it.

41 more days of summer....41 more days of summer...not that I'm counting..lol

CleoKitty

My kids played together nicely from the beginning. HOWEVER, now that dd is 3 y/o and ds is 6 y/o that seems to be ending and they're making up for lost time. I seriously don't think there was one single time that they fought until the last few months and now it's pretty much nonstop.

Ds is constantly telling his younger sister, "I wish you were still a toddler! I liked you better when you were little! You used to be sweet!"

lsufan

For mine, it just depends on the day and how they're feeling.  Both of my younger two (2 and 3 years old) are dropping their naps at the same time, so one or both of them is often overtired because they refused to nap.  Right now, they're all playing together nicely, but I expect that a little later in the day it will devolve into shoving, screaming, and hitting.  At 5.5, my oldest is rarely involved in the fighting.

jlw2505

My girls have always been pretty good about playing together.  They have their moments but I am really lucky that they really get along great.  They do more play together or side by side than really doing their own thing at this point.  They are 3 and 5 at the moment but I honestly don't recall when they didn't play really well together - once the little once was able to play that is - I guess once she was around 1 or 1 1/2 - my older DD has always really loved her little sis.

ilovemygirls

I didn't grow up with siblings near my age, so I have no frame of reference for how siblings relate close in age.  I've been very disappointed that my girls don't 'get along' as well as I'd like them to, but my friends (who had siblings close to their ages) tell me it's very normal.  The biggest problem is that my oldest wants to just control everything my 4yo does/says/thinks about, etc.  My little one can't do freaking anything without her sister mandating something about it.  Drives me INSANE.  So I truly hope that they are better friends when they grow up, but it is incredibly frustrating.  I think I had an unrealistic expectation, esp. because I had 2 of the same gender, I expected that they'd play well together!

mamarazzi

ilovemygirls:

I didn't grow up with siblings near my age, so I have no frame of reference for how siblings relate close in age.  I've been very disappointed that my girls don't 'get along' as well as I'd like them to, but my friends (who had siblings close to their ages) tell me it's very normal.  The biggest problem is that my oldest wants to just control everything my 4yo does/says/thinks about, etc.  My little one can't do freaking anything without her sister mandating something about it.  Drives me INSANE.  So I truly hope that they are better friends when they grow up, but it is incredibly frustrating.  I think I had an unrealistic expectation, esp. because I had 2 of the same gender, I expected that they'd play well together!

My oldest is SUPAH bossy as well.  My 2yo doesn't talk, so not only does he tell him what to do all day long, he also puts words in his mouth.  DS2 understands everything, so this just pisses him off.  DS2 is like a different child when DS1 is at school.  He plays so nicely!

superslug

Mine get along pretty well most of the time, but they have a hard time playing separately and not caring what the other is doing. If my oldest is playing by himself it's not long that the youngest wants to know what he's doing and it usually leads to fighting and vice versa. It is very rare that they are both playing separately. Luckily for me they usually want to play together and they do that nicely...most of the time!

warriormomerin

CleoKitty:

My kids played together nicely from the beginning. HOWEVER, now that dd is 3 y/o and ds is 6 y/o that seems to be ending and they're making up for lost time. I seriously don't think there was one single time that they fought until the last few months and now it's pretty much nonstop.

Ds is constantly telling his younger sister, "I wish you were still a toddler! I liked you better when you were little! You used to be sweet!"

This! Except, my oldest is a girl and she seems to have a hard time remembering that she's not his mother. He didn't seem to mind being bossed around until he hit age 3 and now it's constant fighting, but they still have very loving moments with each other. One minute they're hugging and the next they're hitting each other. It's driving me BSC.

Jodi&Joe

If they're getting along, it's because they are getting in trouble together! 

 

Nah, Joey and Cam actually get along fairly well.  Of course, that is because Cam is sensitive and caring and giving.  She concedes A LOT when it comes to them.  So it works (although makes me sad for her but that's a whole other story)!

They fight, sure.  But all in all, they are each other's best friends and entertain each other a lot. 

Mominator

DandRAgain:

Audrey and Mitch are my "pair".  They fight over EVERYTHING...the arguments where they scream at each other are over STUPID stuff "NOOOO the sky is BLUEEEEE today!"  "Noooooo! I see clouds in the sky!!!"  back and forth...louder and louder until I jump in and say "YOU ARE BOTH RIGHT!  THE SKY IS BLUE WITH CLOUDS!!!!!"  Gah!!! Over and over probably 5 times a day they get into these back and forth screaming matches.

THEN...they fight over EVERY toy..sometimes its the toy Audrey had first...sometimes its the toy Mitch had first...but the other one suddenly wants it.  "ITS MY TOY!" or "I WAS JUST GETTING THAT TOY AND YOU STOLE IT!" or "YOU AREN"T SHARING! YOU'VE HAD THAT TOY ALL DAY!"  until I jump in and remove the toy completely and no one gets it.

41 more days of summer....41 more days of summer...not that I'm counting..lol

Insert "Alyssa and Nate" in place of "Audrey and Mitch" and you just described my house to a T. Sometimes my kids do get along and play well, but lately it seems like they argue more than anything else. They were SCREAMING at each other in the car the other night, arguing over the correct words to "I'm a little teapot". Ugh.

kickypants

They started really playing with each other (imaginative play, Star Wars, Power Rangers, etc.) around the time DS2 turned 3. At that point DS1 started seeing him as a playmate rather than an annoyance. They play great together now, but they still have their moments when they get on each others nerves, obviously. I'd say they're buddies 90 percent of the time now, enemies the other 10.

The fighting is also a lot worse when they spend too much time together. They went to different schools for the first time last year, and that helped a lot. They're at the same camp this summer (different groups), but the fighting is slightly worse than usual lately.

true_norskie

As DD2 has gotten closer to 3 and there is less parallel play it seems like they are getting along more.  They still fight, but it's different now.  DD1 is starting to see DD2 as more of a playmate and less like a little one to boss around.  DD2 mostly adores her big sister (this morning her eyes lit up when she saw her big sister after she woke up and she ran to give her a hug).

They each know how to best push each other's buttons and that will ALWAYS be true.  It's just that in that last month or so, they've gotten along a LOT better.  It used to be close to or less than 50/50 they'd get along.  Now it's a little higher--probably more like 80/20 they get along.

BUT, they get along best when they are doing something they shouldn't or getting into trouble together.  ::sigh::

ccm1203

They argue a lot, especially now that it is summer and they don't really get a break from each other.   They are 4 and 6.

winomom22

As of now my girls are 4.5 and 1 and just recently started playing together. DD1 is so sweet to her...so far. When DD1 is gone all day at summer school or preschool I can tell that DD2 misses her. She whines a lot and isn't used to playing alone because she always has her big sis right there. It's nice because now they can somewhat keep each other entertained.

Carol*Brady2

Dd1 & 2 play nice almost all the time. DD1 & 3 play nice. Dd2 & 3 clash more. They are 2, 4 & 6 years old.

annetteh72

We got so lucky, DS and DD have always played well.  The summer is my favorite time because it's so much harder to have one of them. I think it helps that the Type A is the younger one and that makes the power pretty equal.

jamie.renee

I am very fortunate, my older 2 girls ( 2 yrs and 2 wks apart) have always got along pretty well with just the occasional situation.  They are now 9 and 7 and they are still really close.  They have started bickering a little more lately though but that's because since my daughter turned 9 she thinks she is hot stuff and rules my 7 year old.  My third daughter is 2 and she just fits right in with them.