"Stay out of your brother's face."
"Don't sit on top of him."
"Why are you kicking the side of his chair?"
"Do you like people hovering over you when you've just woken up?"
These are all things that have come out of my mouth multiple times this summer. Max's sister spends her summers with us, and always has. She also spends her school holidays, but that's never enough time for a doting, loving sister to have with her very special little brother.
The problem is, in the long stretches of time that she doesn't see Max, she forgets that he's nearly 7 years old, and not the baby she thinks of when she thinks of Max. Sure, he is still in diapers. And drinks only formula. And lays around or sits in a special chair. But he is growing up, and doesn't particularly like to be the baby any more.
So she snuggles when SHE wants a snuggle. And she kisses his cheek when SHE wants to kiss his cheek. And she sits on his legs, I guess because she can, I still haven't gotten a good reason for this act. And she kicks at his chair absent mindedly, because it's a big, EMORMOUS, piece of foam furniture.
And with her special smothering love, she forgets that he can't tell her to move out of his personal space, or to get off of his chair, or just back off a little...so she just swoops in.
So, I have to remind her from time to time. But, not every time. Because at the end of the week she'll be gone again. And he'll be left missing his sister, and she'll be left missing her baby brother. Even if he's nearly as big as she is.
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