I’m in the bathroom, taking a few deep breaths before I go back out to my three children. I’ve just spent 45 minutes blowing up and filling our paddling pool in the garden so they can cool off, play and give me some time to sit down.
However, just five minutes into playtime, chaos descended between my seven-year-old twins when one splashed the other in the face and they declared they didn’t want to be in the water anymore and were “coming inside”.
This kind of situation happens multiple times a day in our household. The boys get on well together but like many siblings, they also really know how to wind each other up. My tolerance for it will vary depending on many factors: how tired I am, how long they’ve been arguing, whether I’m hungry or hot, and if I’m juggling other tasks like work, driving, laundry or cooking.
Squabbling between kids is completely normal, and I take a lot of reassurance from the fact that it affects most of my parent friends. But the summer holidays are a time when the friction can really ramp up. We’re spending more time together and there are a lot of days to fill.
Shorts
