Arguing About Arguing - And Other Ridiculousness!

When I had three daughters, people told me they would be the best of friends. Sometimes, they are. Other times? Not so much. Here's what I said about it in a post I wrote couple of months ago:

Well, those three sisters are now 12, 10, and 7 years old and they could not be more different. The oldest is super smart, sporty, stoic, and driven. The middle one is a ball of energy, chatter, and silliness. The youngest is a little princess who wears her heart on her sleeve. 

Oftentimes, the differences make these sisters mix about as well as oil and water. They fight. They bicker. They intentionally annoy one another and point out every flaw they see in the other. The bond people told me would be so deep and strong is buried under yelling, arguing, and tears.

It seems their arguing, ebbs and flows like the tide. They go through phases when they (mostly) get along. Then, somehow the cosmos realign and an arguing phase ensues in which they cannot even be in the same room without jumping down each other's throats. 

Right now, we are in one of those arguing phases. Maybe it's because it's the end of summer and my girls have had all the "togetherness" they can stand. Maybe they are bored and fighting is just a way to fill the time. Maybe it's just what siblings do and trying to assign any rhyme or reason is pointless. 

Not only do they argue with each other, but they argue with me as well. Often it seems, we have the same disagreements over and over and over again. 

In just the last few days, here are some of the utterly ridiculous & annoyingly repetitive things they have argued about with each other and with me:

1. Who left footprints on the windshield of my minivan. Yes, you read that correctly. FOOTPRINTS on the WINDSHIELD!
2. Messes. "Who left this empty cup here?" I ask and the finger pointing begins. And, heaven forbid I ask them to clean something! That incites an argument, for sure! 
3. Food - Where to go out to eat, who ate the last of the ice cream, who is the pickiest eater - all are debate-worthy. Just the other day, my oldest - the vegetarian - was insulting my youngest about how picky she is! 
4. Who sits where in the car. Three is an odd number which means nothing can ever really be fair and someone always has to sit in the back of the van. They fight over this every time we go somewhere. Every. Single. Time.
5. Clothes. I learned a long time ago to pick my battles when it comes to clothes, but once in a while I have to insist they wear something that makes a little more sense than whatever outfit they have chosen on their own. Inevitably, this causes an uprising.
6. Hair. My oldest doesn't want her curly hair to be frizzy yet she refuses to put any product on it because that makes it "crunchy." My two youngest have a very apparent disdain for combing their hair.
7. Bedtime. Of course, they always think they should go to bed later than we make them and the oldest thinks she should be allowed to go to bed later than her younger sisters.
8. Temperature. They're hot. They're cold. Nobody can ever agree.
9. Family activities. Family game night? Nobody can agree on a game. Family movie night? Nobody can agree on a movie. Squabbles sure to flare up.
10. Arguing. Yep. They argue about why and how they argue. They argue about who started it and whose fault it is. Arguing about arguing - the ultimate ridiculousness! 

Based on past experience, I know this phase will pass and, if I can survive it, the tide will, eventually, turn once again. Life will return to a more peaceful state. In the meantime, I will try to smile and remember to laugh at the silliness of these arguments, because, sometimes, laughing is all I can do to keep from pulling out every last hair on my head!

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