sibling rivalry

last night, i heard the most blood curdling scream coming from upstairs in one of the girls' bedrooms. minutes later, ella emerged and came hobbling down the steps as if she'd been shot, her face red from either crying or just from getting mad, or maybe both. and streaking down her face, all the way from her cheek down her chest, was a fingernail scratch.

"sissy scratched me!!!" she shrieked.

from upstairs, i heard madelyn defend herself. "she scratched me first!"

madelyn ran down the steps and curled up beside me on the recliner. "see, look..." although madelyn was pointing at what she claimed to be a scratch on her knee from ella, it was so minuscule that i could barely see it.

after playing a rousing game of "who started it?" and visualizing the catfight that had just taken place upstairs, i finally made the girls kiss and make up. they were reluctant, especially ella.

of course, mine are not the first children to experience sibling rivalry. mom has told me stories of how aunt virginia used to sit on her and smother her face with a pillow when they were younger. and i remember alecia slapping me when i was about 8, and jennifer kicking me in the ankle with a pointy toed boot (which was apparently very traumatic at the time because i wrote about it in my diary). i'm sure i wasn't innocent in all of this, and probably deserved more than a slap and a kick.

i just didn't think they'd start arguing this much this early in life. it was only a few months ago that madelyn insisted upon ella sleeping with her at night because she didn't like sleeping alone. yet the other night, when ella crawled into madelyn's bed, madelyn started yelling.

"i don't want her in here! make her get in her own bed! she's always in my room!"

as the weeks pass, i get more and more of a taste of the jealousy, rivalry, and overall dislike that my girls feel for one another. not that they don't have moments where they get along great and absolutely love each other, but lately they've had it out for one another. today alone, i've dealt with madelyn not letting ella in her "fort"; ella taking madelyn's spot by me on the couch and madelyn crying about it; ella getting mad that madelyn's cinnamon roll had more icing than hers; and madelyn accusing me of loving ella more than i love her because, according to madelyn, i "hug ella more".

when they're older, i know that they'll be the best of friends, just as i am with my older sisters. but until that time comes, all i can do is throw my hands up and ride out the storm. the screaming, fighting, nail scratching and hair pulling storm.