Muscles in the Making

The girls exercised some new muscles today, literally and figuratively. 

Literally, Becky demonstrated that she has immense jaw strength when she chomped down – hard – on Susie’s fingers (which were voluntarily in her Becky’s mouth, but that’s another story).  She didn’t break the skin, but she left deep teeth marks in her sister’s little sausage fingers, and poor Susie wailed as if Becky had just amputated her arm.  It was the first instance where the girls had caused each other real pain (other than the occasional head-whack, which I assume is more shocking than painful), but I know it won’t be the last.  I can only imagine the broken toys and broken hearts that await us in the future as the girls test the boundaries of their relationship. 

I do hope that every future transgression ends as peacefully as today’s did.  Not too long after the incident, when we were driving in the car, I heard delighted giggles in the back.  I turned around in my front passenger’s seat and watched as Susie withdrew a single Cheerio from her snack cup and passed it over to Becky’s eager hand.  Once Becky had brought the cherished morsel to her lips and reached her hand out again, Susie carefully handed her another Cheerio.  It was not only surprising to see the girls sharing without my prompting, but it was especially astonishing to see them sharing food.  My girls typically guard their cups of Cheerios like Fort Knox’s stash of gold, and never, ever willingly part with a single morsel.  I can only guess that Susie was flexing the newfound muscle of forgiveness, and was demonstrating in the boldest of toddler terms that she was not holding a grudge against her sister. 

Or maybe she was trying to tell Becky that the next time she feels like chomping on something, it better be on a Cheerio instead of Susie’s finger. 

Susie: “It’s all good, Becky.  I feel much better now.”

Becky: “I’ll bite my own finger, too, so I can feel your pain.  And make sure you’re not just a wimp.”