Three, It's a Magic Number

I've been here before.  It's like a broken record.  Except it's not the kids repeating themselves, it's me.  I'm not talking about the fact that they don't listen to a thing I say.  That's not "oh, I've done this before" that's an ongoing struggle of "why do I have to yell before you will listen to what I say".  I hate that too, so so much.  I need to find a new trick, like whispering.  I have a friend who says her kids know they are in big trouble when she starts to whisper.  Then they listen.

What am I talking about?  I am being kind of cryptic.  I'm talking about one child not understanding why another child does something.  More specifically, the older child not quite understanding why the younger child says and does so many stupid things.  I cannot tell you how many times in one week my response to a question from Sarah, and occasionally Andy, is "because she's three".  There is no reason because she is unreasonable.

The funny thing is that I went through the same thing with Andy when Sarah was three.  He was always asking why she would do things that to him seemed absolutely ridiculous and she should have known better.  Nope Buddy, she's three.  He didn't like it and neither does Sarah.

There must be some point in the older child's life where they stop thinking of their younger sibling as a baby and start to, somewhat, think of them as an equal.  They can talk, they can go to the bathroom (almost), they can pretty much do everything the older child can do.  So why don't they think the way the older one does?  Oh yeah, that's because they're three.  They aren't there yet.  But the older kid doesn't get that and so they are just incredulous to the things that the younger kid does.  Over and over again.  It never sinks in.  Which is why I have to just keep saying "because she's three".

I can't remember at what point they catch up.  Well, honestly, Andy still thinks Sarah is an idiot but I think that's more because of who Andy is than how Sarah behaves.  I do have to every once in awhile tell him to knock it off "because she is only six".  I'm really hoping Amanda's craziness tapers off in the next six months so we can move on to a new line of questioning.  Oh, I also hope that Sarah gets to a point where she stops asking me why people do things instead of asking the people who are doing those things (even if they are right in front of me when she asks), but that is wishful thinking.

Can you hear me banging my head from where you are?