Don't look behind the curtain

As our summer is drawing to a close and we have some time to reflect, we see that we are extremely blessed.  With good health, steady jobs, and a fun place to live, we feel very fortunate and typically focus on these concepts when blogging.  But there is another side to our time with the girls that doesn't get published, but is a daily grind.  The girls are not always happy, nor are they always nice, and we don't always respond in the best way.  Raising kids can be frustrating, especially when you're doing exactly as they request and they're still unhappy.  From potty training failure, to occasionally refusing to respond to family members & friends, to the physical altercations, the girls definitely have their moments.

While both girls have strategies to dealing with their anger and frustration, it sometimes boils over.  Pip screams and yells a lot, but is quick to tell Nina, "when you whine, you get nothing."  She often will cry "that hurts my feelings" when she feels she's been wronged, and even when she wrongs others.  Pip's newest coping mechanism is to color a picture for you and say she's sorry.  Nina mostly curls up in the fetal position or goes to her room to cry whenever she feels she's being mistreated or whenever she's done something wrong.  She tries to compose herself, but needs some time away.  She then will try to come back and do something light-hearted to show her change in attitude.  She occasionally takes to art with her frustration as well, and will even draw angry pictures from time to time.