"I go my Mom's house!"

Are you a younger sibling? Or did you have a younger sibling? Do you watch your children and caution the older one to watch their behavior and words because you know that whatever the older one does the younger one will shortly follow suite?

Sammy and Juls 12/2011

Juliana adores her older sister Samantha! Most of Juliana's play is made up of emulating someone in her life. Her top 3 are Mommy, Sammy and Daddy. She will often "nurse" her baby doll (like Mommy does w/Miriam), work on her laptop and go to work like Daddy but more times than not, she is emulating Samantha. She is often doing her "homework" and having me check it, playing piano like Sammy or she is "going my Mom's house" like Sammy does every other week. She will tell me that "her mom" will pick her up at the bus stop, "her step-dad" is working or talk about Sammy's other siblings like they are her own.

Sisters Christmas morning 2012

Ever since Juliana can remember Samantha is here one week and not the next. We talk openly about the fact that I am not Sammy's Mommy but I am her Step-Mom. We explain to Juli that she has 1 Mom, 1 Dad and 1 house every time she plays this game. Does she understand this? Probably not, but this is our life. This is going to be apart of her life forever. Samantha will always be her sister but she will also always have other siblings and family members that are not Juli's.




 It's a confusing situation for most outsiders but it's our normal life. There are somethings that are more complicated because of the shared custody but all in all, it's MORE than worth it to have Sammy here as often as she is. I am incredibly close to my siblings, especially my sisters, and I am grateful that Juliana (and Miriam) have Samantha as their older sister.