Older sibling's helping to raise our children

 We all know parent's play a major role...

  In the development of our children, parent's play a big roll, however I have also noticed with our children. Ryder will copy Rebel all the time when she is home, he pick's up on her habit's and does the same thing's she does. After dinner Rebel used to have to empty her plate in the trash and rinse it off at the sink.  Ryder would try and do the same, he would empty his plate in the trash then try to get to the sink to rinse it off. 

 Since he isn't quite big enough to see above the counter this created a good amount of dishes being dropped in the sink, and him trying to climb the cabinet's to get to the sink and rinse his plate like his big sister. I had asked Rebel to stop emptying her plate and rinsing it, instead just set it on the counter and I would take care of it. About 3 or 4 night's of this happening and Ryder had quit emptying his and just started putting it on the counter.

   When Rebel is hyped up about something Ryder is right there with her, jumping and spinning like top's.

If Rebel is reading a book a lot of the time Ryder will be right there next to her trying to read along with her. These moment's I try to get her to read the book to her brother, which work's out great for both of them. As well when we are working on Rebel's flash card's Ryder will be sitting there trying to count the number's just like Rebel. 

  More often than not when Rebel is home Ryder will be following her around constantly, he loves his sister to no end. And I know it aggravates her at time's but I can tell she love's him just as much. They have a bond that I really hope never get's broken, it's great watching them play together. And for instance last night Ryder didn't want to stay in bed he wanted to get up and play, as I was walking away from tucking him back in he was crying and obviously mad at me because I wouldn't let him play. The I heard Rebel telling him It's ok to be mad at daddy bubba, but it's time to go to sleep I have school tomorrow. 

  Ryder had quieted down and wasn't trying to get up and climb the baby gate anymore, so I left them alone for about 30 minute's. Sometime in that 30 minute's Ryder had crawle    Nd into bed with Rebel and went to sleep, Rebel had her arm wrapped around him and they looked so cute. I could tell both of them were very happy, and instead of trying to move him and wake him up I let them sleep like that, at about 1:00 am Ryder woke up yelling, that's when I moved him to his own bed. And he slept the rest of the night away.

But we can't get down to their level.

  I think it may have something to do with them being closer together in age, and the younger sibling not looking at the older one as a authority figure. As parent's we scold our children for doing wrong, and praise them for doing right. But the difference I think is it's not on their level, we are older and have lost the true child in us. It's really not possible to get down to that level again, Try as we might we can get close but we as parent's have to know the boundaries. 

  For instance taking a bubble bath we know that if we dump the whole bottle of bubble bath in the tub and start splashing around it's going to make a huge mess and we will have to clean it up eventually. However as a child the thought process would be OHHHHHH let's dump the whole bottle in here because that will make more bubble's and then splash around in it cause that would be super fun. there is no worry about having to clean the mess up.  

  There in lie's the difference I think in how our role's in development differ, children have similar thought processes and are therefore on the same page so to speak. As adult's we are quite a few chapter's ahead of our children. And as nice as it would be to turn back the clock and be children again it's just not possible. Not even with a time machine, we would still have the same thought processes as we do as adult's.

   We can't really get on the same level as they are close yes but never really the same. With that being said encourage your children to be positive role model's for each other,  especially the older one's remind them that their younger sibling's look up to them and will do as they do especially at a younger age. But don't forget that even though you may not see it all of our children still look up to us as adult's.

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