Such was the case when AJ found a silly "Hello, Kitty" Happy Meal toy watch that belonged to Sydney. Sydney has never shown any interest in it. Until she saw her brother playing with it.
Sydney tried to grab it. AJ yanked it away with such force that Sydney fell down. Of course the drama queen started to cry. I reminded AJ that he needed to be more gentle, and that the watch belonged to Sydney. I also told him to say "Sorry" to his sister.
"But I had it first!" he whined.
"Yes, but did you ask her if you could play with it?"
At that point, he started sassing, so I told him it was "time out" time. (This is the discipline they do at daycare, and AJ considers it a fate worse than death.)
"I don't want a time out!" he shouted at me.
"That's it," I told him. "Then you are going to your room." Suddenly the issue wasn't his treatment of his sister, but his response to me.
AJ threw down the watch and ran to his room.
And then a funny thing happened. Sydney, who'd stopped crying to watch this all unfold, picked up the watch and followed AJ into his room. Sydney said, "Sow-wy" and handed AJ the watch. AJ then gave her a hug and invited her to climb on his bed. He then said sorry to me and gave me a hug.
A little later I could hear AJ happily "reading" to Sydney, telling her all about the sharks and sea creatures in his book. Peace was restored.
And neither of them have shown any interest since in that blessed "Hello, Kitty" watch.
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