I DON'T LOVE YOU ANYMORE!!

I know we all would like to have perfect kids that played together, never fought, never refused to share, never punched each other...

But it's a pretty unrealistic dream, at least in my house it is.

Hayden and Tara spend the entire day together, a huge chunk of it they actually do get along and play nicely...but it doesn't take much to have them turn on one another. Hayden will punch Tara in the nose (he actually just did this about 2 minutes ago), or Tara will tell him he smells and all hell breaks lose.

Hayden: "I DON'T LOVE YOU ANYMORE, TARA!"
Tara: *crying* "Mommy, Hayden says he don't love me no more!"
Me: *yelling from the kitchen* Hayden YOU DO TOO LOVE HER, knock it off!"
Hayden: "NO I DON'T!! I ONLY LOVE KAYLEY!!"
Tara: *crying hysterically* "Mommy HAYDEN SAYS..."
Me: "I HEARD WHAT HE SAID! Hayden I. SAID. KNOCK. IT. OFF."

(insert a few minutes of blissful silence)

Tara: MOMMY!!!!!! HAYDEN SAYS I'M A BABY!! I'M NOT A BABY!!"

...(silence)...

Tara: MOMMY!!! Mommy...??

(a few more minutes of confused silence)

(insert sounds of normal playing coming from their bedrooms)

Sometimes when the kids are acting in a heathen manner it's just easier to ignore them! Seriously. I always find myself pulled into their little "trap" and yelling and pleading, and begging them to get along... But it never fails that once I just ignore them, and keep a ear out for what's going on, they always seem to resolve their "issues" on their own.

Or maybe they are just plotting against me?

They both like to remind me multiple times a day that not only do they only love each other half of the time, they pretty much "don't love me anymore!" most of the time too.

Just part of the job description I suppose. They seem to come around and love me again once I remind them who is responsible for feeding them!