A Common Enemy

The latest round of R2D2 Sorry game ended with lively bickering between Anna, Jameson, & Baylor. So, I did what a lot of amazing moms do -- give the first random response that comes to mind . . . to your bedrooms until you're ready to apologize to each other. Yeah, it was a real stroke of brilliance. Totally, like I could have just said, "I don't know what to do, so, go where you can't see my confusion."

And by luck, by blessing, by the alignment of stars and planets, I realized that meant both girls boxed up in their tiny shared space -- t o g e t h e r.  It had occurred to me weeks ago that what the girls might just need is a circumstance in which they have to team up to defeat a common enemy -- likely me or Chad. Just like pledging -- the actives of the sorority feign distance from and disdain for the pledges, forcing the new "sisters" to work together. But, I just couldn't make up a nonsensical and undeserved negative environment . . . so, it had remained a vague notion in the cobwebs of my mind.

And then, whammo, some guardian angel had had enough of my idiot brain and waved their magic wand or sprinkled heaven dust or whatever, and my calm, appropriately healthy reaction to their misbehavior put them together into the snake pit.

When Anna started to walk out of their room with a cross look on her face and less-than-warm words coming from her mouth toward Bay, I turned her right back around. And then, later, when she came downstairs to the kitchen with humility on her face and a tone of inquiry said, "I'm ready," then I responded with "Okay, then, go on up and apologize to your sister, and once you've both done that, come see me together."

THAT was the moment truly gifted to me from somewhere outside of myself. I am so disjointed in the head and upside down right now -- can't seem to get much done in this strange "spring" break. But there it was. I had unwittingly (I know, I over use that word, but it works here) made their escape from banishment one of interdependence. They now NEEDED each other to get out of Azkaban.

Minutes later down they walked, step by step, across the family room to me. With smiles. Bay expounded in her pleased and important style that she had told Anna about all the difficult things in her life (extended family members lost to death or divorce, a friend who had moved out of state, etc.), and Anna smiled proudly, "I am the one who got her talking. I said, 'Come one, come on.' She had a thing over her head and was crying.  Then she talked."  Smiles and smiles and smiles.

High fives and then big tens [smack -- smack -- smack -- smack] for both girls. Booyah!

Ahhhhhhmennnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn (chorus of angels)