Skidloader drama

Just a little story about skidloader drama at our house! It all started a long time ago when the boys found an old green JD skidloader at the red farm. Grandma told them they could bring it home. Of course it was their favorite toy and they fought over it constantly. So I think that year for Christmas, they got a yellow one so they would each have one. But of course, it's not that easy because they both wanted the new yellow one and neglected the green one.  

Last summer, I was thiiiiiisss close to just hiding the yellow one forever because of the constant battles that resulted every day.  Grandma saw the drama so when Nora was born, the spoiled boys got yet another yellow skidloader. But it was DIFFERENT than the other yelllow skidloader and new, so therefore the most sought after skidloader. AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Even though they argued over the new yellow skidloaders for awhile, they still never seemed to care about the old green one. That is, until a couple of weeks ago when they both decided the green one is their favorite and I've been refereeing green skidloader drama once again ever since. I have no idea what it is that suddenly makes the green one the favorite. I'm guessing it's just because one knows the other wants it. We've tried using different skidloaders for different play ideas (one for hauling feed, one scraping cement, etc) without much success.

So many battles and tears being shed over 3 skidloaders for 2 children :) Charlie is a taunter and Levi gets physical very quickly. Both are struggling to understand what triggers the other! One of them is always carrying or hoarding it during waking hours. But then when Charlie is at preschool and Levi has unlimited access??? He doesn't even play with it! In a rare moment it is left unattended, if Levi makes a move for it, Charlie will drop whatever he's doing in an effort to get it first.  So much fun!!

One week in ECFE we talked about sharing and I totally was on board with the whole not making someone give up their toy or turn just to satisfy the person who wants it right now (you wouldn't just rip something out of another adult's hands just because they've had it long enough and you want it now, right?). So we have been working on saying things like "when will you be done? can you let me know when you're done?" Getting kids to use their own words & then when they decide they are done on their terms, the good feeling they get from sharing and passing it on and learning to solve these conflicts without an adult having to interfere every single time. So with a lot of prompting that is working. The best example is our little toy loader tractor. They are slowly but surely learning that they can take as long of a turn as they would like but they know the feeling of what it's like to have to wait FOREVER for a turn. They've each stood by and watched the other drain the battery on the tractor and are learning!! Yay!

Just a little glimpse of this season of life!