Brotherly Love

You stupid boy!
Mom!!! Seark called me a stupid boy!

Seark stop it! Stop calling Aidan names. No one is stupid.

You stupid boy!
Mommmmmmm! Do you hear him he is still calling me a stupid boy!

Why?! Why is he calling you a stupid boy?! What are you doing to him???? 

Nothing! 

Translation to nothing = taking and hiding pieces to the puzzle that Seark is already struggling to put together. Why? Why would Aidan do such a thing? Pure entertainment. The fact is that after spending the last month and a half home from school for the summer him and Seark have spent entirely too much time together. So much so they have found that they have one thing in common... they love to annoy each other.

Aidan if you don't leave Seark alone you are going to go in time out... understand? Rolling your eyes is not an acceptable answer. If you understand the words coming out of my mouth nod your head yes.... thank you. 

Seark if you call Aidan a stupid boy again you will also go in time out... got it? Good. 

I am not even in the living room for 10 seconds when I hear the final "You stupid boy" which is really more like "choooo stuuuuupid boyeeeeeeee!!!!!"

That's it you are BOTH in time out!!! 

Time out. Something that occurs in this house several times a day. On a good day. I hate time out. It would honestly be easier to let them torment each other for hours on end than it is to get them to sit quietly in time out. Yes I fully expect them to sit quietly. The time out count down won't even start until they are quiet. Plus 5 minutes is added for every fresh talking back comment that is made towards me. So it is likely that a five minute time out will turn into a 50 minute time out. Yeah I know you are thinking 50 minutes?! Yes we have already had a 90 minute time out. Clearly it can take Aidan awhile to remember that we are playing by my rules and that one of them is no talking back.

So I pull up two chairs and tell them to both sit. They do. And instantly it starts. He is looking at me. He is touching me. He is annoying me. Tell him to stop looking at me. You stupid boy. Stop saying that. Move over. Don't breathe like that. Mom he is rolling his eyes. He is kicking my chair, I can still feel him looking at me?! At this point I am ready to blindfold the two of them while sitting back to back so there is no way anyone can look at anyone! I may have even threatened to do such a thing.

Why can't they just get along?! Siblings should be built in friends! And they are going to have to be because mommy hates play dates. Aidan always wants to have a friend over. I always tell him... he's already here. To which he answers... Seark?! Really?! I don't want to play with him!!! Granted there is a bit of an age difference and I know that is a huge factor but I wish they would realize sooner than later that even though they may both be totally annoying in the end family is all you got.

A lesson I am admittedly still learning. For years I have had my ups and downs with my brother. More downs than I would like but such is life. The older I get I do realize... friends... they come and go. Some last longer than others. Some I even love like family... but they aren't. And there is a difference. My brother on the other hand no matter what will always be, well, my brother. My first friend. My best friend. He will always be annoying. I will always annoy him. We won't always see eye to eye and sometimes it will feel like we never will. But somehow when it comes to the important things we will be there for each other. That's all that matters. If only I could make my boys see that sooner... like now. Maybe just maybe they would be a little kinder to one another. Until then I see lots of time outs in our future... possibly while blindfolded back to back.