I was recently out with a friend and her kids. She's got two girls that flank the babes in age. The three of them are great friends. We were eating out and D and I got into a bantering match and my friend burst out, "Oh my gawd, will you two just stop! You're like two siblings bickering!" And then she tried to share a strategy as to how we could calm ourselves down and engage in a respectful way.
That sort of struck me. Yes, my child and I do get into squabbles! WHYY??? I am her mother. She should respect me. But then again, I don't want to squash her individuality and then I think about my sister and daughter and my other friend with single daughter and they engage in the same sort of bantering with their child. And then I think about my other friend with a single daughter, she is a single mother and they don't banter. But, this single mother friend is also not sarcastic and snarky.
I don't know. I don't know why we engage like sisters. Maybe it's nice for these solo children to be able to express themselves. Maybe they are actually exasperated by our snarkiness. Who knows.
I don't have the answer, but I just thought I'd share this observation.
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