A Pair of Rascals

The girls were playing in Hannah’s room with the door closed. I went to check on them and found Abby with a Sharpie. She had written all over their play vanity. Front and back. She got an earful and was punished. Later that week, we had friends over. The girls took one of our friends on a tour of their rooms. When they got to the vanity, they each had something to say:


Abby: “Mommy tells us not to play with markers, but really, a Sharpie isn’t a marker!”
Hannah: “Mommy got mad at Abby, because she didn’t see that I was writing with the Sharpie, too!”

We had friends over for a barbecue, and the girls were entertaining them. With 15 adults listening to them, they felt like stars. Abby announced, “I am going to have infinity babies when I grow up! I’m never taking the baby medicine!” Hannah had a reply. In a perfect Mike voice, she announced, “NO more BABIES in this HOUSE!”

Hannah has a high pain tolerance, while Abby is the exact opposite. Hannah went to the doctor to take care of some especially bad sores, and I knew the treatment was painful. When she got in the bath tonight, the hot water stung the wounds, making her cry. She seldom cries due to pain, and my heart broke because I couldn’t make it better. Abby was less sympathetic. “You think THAT’S bad?” she asked. “Look, Hannah! I have a paper cut on my finger!”

Hannah is in the stage where she just wants to do/have what Abby does/has. At a restaurant with my parents, Hannah was asked what she wanted to eat. She replied, “What’s Abby having?” My mom said that Abby was undecided. “Then I’M undecided, TOO!”

“Hannah, what do you want for breakfast?”
“The same thing that Abby’s having! (Pause.) Abby, what are you having?”

Hannah also announced that she will be changing her name to Abby. Abby is now changing hers to Abigail.

My sister-in-law and I have a deal worked out. When our kids play together, the visiting party leaves the house without cleaning up. My kids have finally figured this out, and they only want playdates at their cousins' house. When asked why, they say, "Because we don't have to clean up there! Everywhere else we go, we have to help put toys away!"