I have written in the past about our OCD Nut (Claire) and Mini-Godzilla (Aerin). This character difference not only applies to how my girls clean/mess up their toys, but also extends to how they play and conduct themselves.

Aerin is a daredevil while Claire still remains one of the most cautious kids I know. Aerin likes to play outside — and doesn’t mind getting dirty! — while Claire prefers indoor activities. (Even then, she is known to quit an activity if she sees that she is getting dirty, and requests to go wash her hands or to take a bath.) Claire loves reading and being read to, while Aerin prefers to flip through books at her own pace, often quickly. And while Ariel remains Aerin’s favorite character, she has many Ariel dolls and isn’t attached to just one. By contrast, Claire still loves her giraffe and he will forever be her favorite toy.

And so on and so forth.

Painting together at their play easel

The good news is that as they mature — Claire growing more patient and Aerin better able to communicate her wants and needs — they are able to get along better…and just recently, they have actually started to PLAY TOGETHER.

Yes, it took more than 2 entire years, but my daughters are finally starting to enjoy each other’s company and play together and even miss each other when separated.

They still fight. They have even gotten physical at times (pulling hair, scratching, pinching, hitting) — although this is more on Aerin’s side because she is a physically communicative person — but the disagreements are slowly becoming less frequent and less dramatic.

Making Valentine’s Day cards together

So to bear witness to times when they have been separated for hours and finally reunite — to see Aerin smile and laugh at the sight of her big sister, and to see Claire run to go hug her little sister…

When they walk/run around the house holding hands…

When they share their toys and snacks, even feeding each other…

When Claire shouts, “Let’s have a dance party!” and they both start to boogie…

When they join hands to play “Ring Around the Rosie” or “Going to Kentucky”…

When they kiss each other goodnight and Claire says “I love you” to Aerin…

Yeah, those moments make this hardened, cynic’s heart melt into a giant, goopy puddle. 🙂

I’m not sure if my daughters will ever become best friends — their opposite personalities aren’t exactly complementary. But I hope that they will learn to love and treasure one another, to accept and embrace each other’s differences, and to rely on each other for strength and growth.

This was like the fifth time in a row we were doing this song, so everything is a bit sloppy (Aerin even falls down!)
and I’m seriously out of tune from all the singing and dancing and laughing. 🙂