My Little Bestie

Since the baby was born, Gabby has turned into a massive handful. It might be attributed to her age, her station in our family or the fact that she feels that like she lost her Mommy with the arrival of the baby (21 months ago!!). Whatever it is, she’s generally the one who gives me the hardest time on a regular basis. This is especially hard because she was always my little bestie.

Anyone that I’ve talked to about the challenges she bestows upon me always recommends more “Mommy time.” Clearly that sounds like an easy fix, but the realty is that it’s harder than one would think.

Gabby goes to school Tuesday through Friday, so this Monday I shipped off Noah to my mom for some Gabby/Mommy QT time. The results were astounding. The child I spent Monday with was completely unrecognizable. She was easy going, considerate and sweet. I enjoyed (almost) every minute of the day in the way I used to when it was just us with Drew in school. It was amazing.

Growing up an only child, I only focused on what I was missing out by not having siblings. I neglected to focus on what children with siblings “miss out” on by there being competition. It makes me so sad that Gabby is the worst version of herself when Noah (and Drew but mostly Noah) is around. It makes me so sad that each of these beings are so special but together they become so crazed for my (our) attention that they act like monsters. The worst part is that I recognize this problem but I’m literally paralyzed by the chaos of our life to do anything about it.

The fun and quality time we had on Monday has set us up for a really good week. Gabby and I have had a much easier time getting along, maybe it’s a fluke but I can’t help but think it’s because we shared such a special day on Monday. I’m going to have to try my hardest and find ways of relating to each of my kids in their own way to pull out the best versions of them. And for Gabby I think that’s going to mean spending Monday’s together. I think I can handle that 🙂