Brawling 10 Month Olds

The twins are ten months old, and I'm not going to write about how much they weigh or how tall they are, or what milestones they have accomplished. They are about on track as far as I'm concerned. What has surprised me the most lately is how intelligently and, lets face it, brutally, they interact with one another.

These guys have created a sport out of taunting, bullying, instigating and all-out brawling. Their tactics are incredibly calculated, from stealing toys to pulling shirts (Claire) to seeing that I am in the room, out of the corner of their eye, and then feinting like they have just been brutally attacked and almost murdered, when they weren't even touched (Colin).

Adam rarely hurts them, and if it happens its typically on accident (pulled a toy out of their hands too roughly, or in one instance, shaking his sippy cup over Claire's head and accidentally dropping it on her -- and he felt bad too).

But Claire and Colin enjoy the hunt, the chase, the sheer pleasure of the sport in getting a rise out of each other. Claire can sign I'm sorry, and usually offers condolences by returning a stolen toy after she's inspected it thoroughly to see if it's better than the one she already had. I've seen many times where once the "game" is over, she'll put her head on Colin's shoulder in a brief truce and "good game" motion.

Colin plays very well with Claire when no one is watching, but the poor kid can't hang on to a toy to save his life.  He must have the best taste in the room, because they can all be surrounded in a mountain of toys, and both Claire and Adam will snatch the one he's playing with right out of his hands. And he HATES it.

I don't want it anymore.

Because of this there is a new rule: "Whatever Colin has, LEAVE IT ALONE."

It's clear that they adore each other, but Colin has shown signs that he really enjoys playing by himself. He can touch whatever he wants, it's not loud, and no one tries to sit too closely.

Claire is an instigator.  She apologizes quickly and understands when she crosses the line, but fully knows that her button pushing can send Colin off into a violent rage, where clawing, biting, and using hangers or stray toys as weapons is going to be the outcome, and yet she seems to enjoy the wrestling and can definitely hold her own. Colin has the strength of a horse, but Claire is actually stronger. And has a more "oh my god he tried to KILL me!" cry. (Colin's warning signal is usually a loud squawk before he attacks, and his cry is more like a desperate plea to be an only child.)





But in times of boredom, Colin will instigate too, like today when he stole Claire's paci and was looking for a fight.

Ohhh....

The plan is forming.

LOOK! LOOK I STOLE IT! LOOK AT ME!!

Through all of this, I love them dearly and am frightened that if they are already this good at pissing each other off, the future can only bring exponential chaos. Maybe when they start daycare they'll be the gentle, kind babies they are and team up together against anyone who is mean to them. Maybe they are just getting good practice at self defense in the daycare world. I say that jokingly, but the thought of daycare/school  bullies always makes me sick. (Adam is not a bully, but can hold his own easily when necessary with pacifist ninja-type moves. He dodges and pins, instead of fighting back. The other kids hate it.)

And when they fight, I'm never quite sure who to root for... I only know I must stop it before someone loses an ear or an eye.

Don't get me wrong, they do play well together and next to each other often, and I'm certain they plot together as well. This evening Shannon caught them crawling at full speed out into the sunroom when the gates were down, squealing and giggling like they had finally found freedom.

"Here, I'm making a mess. You take this sock."

Here, take these.

See, the point is to take all of these out of the box so they can't use them to wipe our noses.

Okay, here's the plan. You cause a distraction HERE. When Mom comes to get you, I'll bolt for the door.

My "darling" little babies.

What's with the camera, Mom?

Waving "Hi."

Oh, I think that other gate might be open.

 

Mom left the room. We can like each other again.

  

I don't want to be in there with him.

I don't want to be in there with her.

Okay, we'll sit here since she's making us but DON'T look at her for the picture.