Sibling Rivalry

Sibling rivalry has been in existence since the days of Cain and Abel, but I can't help but think that Mark and I have fostered some a lot of the competitive edge that exists between the girls. Hindsight is 20/20 in parenting, but until recently I hadn't even noticed how often I would pit the girls against each other instead of having them support each other. When the girls are dragging their feet to do something, little encouragements like, "let's see who can get ready for bed first" or "who can get their shoes on the fastest" have been my motivators to help speed up some of our daily routines. This has always been seen as a fun distraction, until recently when snarky remarks have started to follow up our little game. So, when Lent began and both the older girls individually decided they were going to "give up" fighting with their sister, Mark and I wanted to help them out by reminding them to make their actions more intentional over the next 40 days. 

With Mark going through RCIA this year, he was all-in for his first-ever Catholic Lent. (Each year for Lent he usually gives up his cocaine addiction -- that should tell you how serious he has taken Lent in the past). We decided the best way for all of us to act more becomingly was to seek advice from the best source we could find...the Bible. Each night we have been reading a verse/page/chapter and have geared all of the readings toward love for one another. It has sparked some profound conversations, even deeper self-realizations, and is even starting to venture into the world of apology. We are currently doing Corinthians 13:4-8 - you know "the wedding reading." Love is patient, love is kind...

We used this verse and have taken one word a night and have defined it, given examples of it and have discussed how we carried it out during the day. We also discuss how we didn't carry it out and what the consequences were. We are up to the word "selfish" and boy did we find a winner with that one! If you ask the girls, they will both immediately say that they love their sister, but they are starting to see how their actions speak louder than their words. It has been the perfect way to put into perspective what it really means to love one another. 

Though we aren't covering books of the Bible...barely even chapters at this rate...it has sparked some of our best conversations as a family. I look forward to grabbing a bunch of blankets, snuggling up on the couch with everyone, and settling in for some great discussion. Stay tuned for a little project that the girls are working on that really shows love in action. I'm impressed already!