Funky Nibbles and Friendly Quibbles

Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .

. . . the frustration of pregnant taste buds. That's right, my illness is long gone but food still tastes kinda weird to me. When you enjoy food and cooking as much as I do, this little side effect officially qualifies as a major bummer.

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . poking around a couple cooking websites, which is kind of ironic since it's almost pointless to try new recipes when I can't tell whether they're any good for the next six months.

. . . hearing my kids giggle as they had a dance party on the big bed.

. . . writing this post's title.

And another thing . . .

. . . I once heard about a study which found that siblings who quarreled wouldn't necessarily have a bad relationship when they were adults. The researcher explained that if kids never disagree it's probably because they don't spend much time together, so they may not be very close later on in life. On the other hand, kids who quarrel regularly often play together regularly, too. During the course of playtime a disagreement arises, things get a little heated, then the storm passes and play resumes. Obviously you want to encourage kindness and avoid constant or extreme fighting (my friend's older sister tormented her growing up, and their relationship is still strained decades later), but if quarrels are balanced by plenty of happy play time you shouldn't have much to worry about.

I've thought about that study a lot lately. Daniel is getting old enough to play with Joy, and they often have fun together, but she has also discovered countless ways to bug him. Her latest favorite is to kiss his cheek. He doesn't mind the first kiss, but the second, third, and even tenth one really gets on his nerves. They get on mine, too, since I know she just does it to bother him. My latest parental balancing act involves weighing how much I should proactively encourage friendly choices and discourage unfair or annoying ones, and how much I should just let my kids work things out on their own. I want to lend what guidance I can, but they seem to have the best time together when I'm on the sidelines and they're making their own fun.