Honey, We Need to Have a Little Chat

My Little Angel is a little sister and a sibling but intellectually she is the big sister and at times she is an only child. It can get a little confusing for the adults so imagine what it must be like for her?

This morning I happened to be walking past My Little Angel and as she was pretending to turn on and off a TV which was not plugged into a wall. She was pushing the button on and off rapidly. Totally harmless is what most people would think but ......... Cameron was sitting a metre away. I leant over and said - "Stop, Cameron is watching you." She was not impressed but stopped.

A little while later we were together again and I pulled her up on to my knee and had the talk that I have been kind of having with her for a long time now but this time it was different. This time it was a grown up, very serious conversation, spelling out exactly how it is. She is old enough now to understand.

This is what I said ....

Honey, I know you are Cameron's little sister and he is your big brother but sometimes you are his big sister too.

She protested a little that she was his little sister and then we moved on. I think she feels very proud to be Cameron's little sister.

Inside Cameron's head he is like a little boy, like Bro (second cousin). Bro is almost two and he is a lot like Cameron, isn't he?  He watches people and then he does what they do. Do you remember at the picnic how he watched us all taking food from the table and then he went and took lots of food, even when he was told not too?

Good giggle - it had been funny.

Do you remember how Bro waited until we all started talking again and he thought we weren't watching him and then he snuck around the table and took some more food?

More giggling - because it really had been very cute and funny.

Well, Cameron is just like Bro inside his head, he doesn't understand when he should or shouldn't do things but you are bigger inside your head so you understand when you should or shouldn't do something.
This morning when you were pressing the button on the TV Cameron was watching you, He doesn't understand that the TV wasn't connected to the wall or that you can't do that to a plugged in TV. 

My Little Angel was listening and absorbing.

Mummy and Daddy have to remember to be careful as well, sometimes we forget. Do you remember the night that Daddy lit the BBQ and put the lighter down and then Cameron picked it up and lit it right in front of his face?

Big laugh from My Little Angel - horrifying  memory for her mother. Daddy sat next to us saying nothing.

Daddy didn't think about it when he put the lighter down because Cameron hadn't done that before. We all have to remember not to leave knives on the bench and I have to remember not to leave the honey on the bench - do you remember the honey?

Big giggle at my expense.

Cameron copies us and he doesn't understand when it isn't safe or sensible to do something so we have to be careful about what we do in front of him. 

Okay.

I know it's hard.

Big hug.

A distraction occurred and the conversation was over but I know she will ponder our conversation, probably when she should be asleep and then she will want another chat. It might be tonight or it might be in a month's time but we will chat.

My Little Angel is totally accepting of her life and her family, despite how different life is in our home compared to her friends. This doesn't mean that she doesn't struggle sometimes with the realities, the traumas or the craziness but she gets through them like the rest of us and grows from her experiences.

She is an amazing little, big sister.