"Parent"dox: Sometimes a Pair is Not Enough

Sunday Night "Parent"dox #17:  Sometimes a Pair is Not Enough

As a mom of two young children, I have become accustomed to getting things in pairs.

If I reach in the box to grab a package of fruit snacks, I better be grabbing two packages.  When I get down one bucket to play with during bath time, a second one is soon to follow.  As soon as one kiddo asks for their pillow and blanket while watching a movie, I know I'll be coming back downstairs with two pillows and two blankets.

It's pretty much just become part of life now.  

Like breathing.  

Because, like breathing, the consequences of it not happening are not pretty.

Not.  Pretty.

This is not to say I don't value teaching my kids about sharing, and teaching them you don't always get what you want.  Because I do.  There are many, many chances they have each day to learn these lessons and we talk about them a lot as a family when they come up.

But realistically?  In the trenches of parenthood?  Pairs are so much easier.  Like exponentially, inexplicably easier.  So our house does indeed have a lot of doubles.

With that said, I witnessed yet another "parent"dox today.  I had picked up water squirters for my kids while I was at Dollar Tree.  Fun, cheap, summer fun.  $2 versus $1 to not hear arguing and bickering over a toy?  Sounds like a small price to pay.

Or so I thought...

Within having them home for a half hour, there was already a disagreement at hand.  Mind you, it was a balmy 58 degrees today (yes, it is indeed July 28...you did not travel in a time machine to October) so they were not playing with the squirters in a pool or body of water of any sort.  They were simply playing with them in the living room.

"She has my squirter!  I want to play with it now!"
"But I want this one! I don't want the pink one!"
"I want to see it! Give it back!"

Wait a minute.  That dollar was supposed to prevent situations just like this one.  

But alas, it did not.  Even though each of my kids both had a new toy to play with, and they were identical -- minus the color of the handle -- there was already too much demand and not enough supply.   

The "parent"dox goes something like this:  I have something that is pretty much exactly the same as the something you have, and we should both be grateful for the something we have, but when it comes down to it, I really want the something that you have.  Like the exact something you have.  Meaning literally what you have in your hand, not a duplicate or replicate something.  

Sometimes a pair is not enough.

Here's the other kicker: as soon as one child loses interest in said item, the other child loses interest almost instantaneously.  

Wait, you don't it anymore?  Well that's funny, because neither do I. 

Let's both go want the same exact thing again, that we probably have two of anyway.

Pairs or not, You Are a Good Mom.  Just remember to keep breathing...

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