Even Smeven

I love to see my children get excited for one another. I learned this strategy from my sister Kali and her two oldest children. When Kali shopped or found something another child would like she would point it out to the one with her and they would get excited. Kids need to know that everything is not equitable. Sometimes you find the perfect item at a garage sale for one child and not the other. Sometimes you get something, sometimes you don't. Life does not have to be fair - and neither does mom for that matter. But you can make your children hardly notice and look out for one another. It also helps teach your kids to share since you don't have identical items all the time. Hadley and Vincent know that if one gets a new toy, they can be excited because they know they'll get to play with it as well.

I love when my kids see something that their sibling would like and point it out to me. (Even if they beg to get it for them.) Love it. On the other hand, and this happens, I hate when I buy something for one child and the other asks what they get. I realize this is natural but I am also glad that I learned to look for opportunities to teach that life is not all about 'getting'. Imagine all the junk/clutter you would accrue by always trying to make things equal? Let's face it, we all know those type of people who are still keeping track of what they get or don't get versus others. We also know people who are genuinely excited for others' windfalls. I think the first place you can teach this is among siblings.