My boys are suffering from a condition I call, "Baby Aversion". We invited a classmate who had a baby brother over one day. They looked in horror when the baby brother stuffed their favorite police car into his mouth, knocked down their Lego blocks tower and dropped their toys on the floor. At the playground, they screamed when wandering toddlers took their bike for a ride conveniently while they were climbing at the bars.
I can't really blame them for that, considering they almost lost one patch of hair when a friendly toddler came over for a chat coupled with hair pulling when we were at Sentosa once. They got beaten and pinched several times at the playground, also from friendly babies.
It was hard to get them to understand that the babies were not being mean or obnoxious. On the contrary, they were just overly enthusiastic to make friends with them. They wanted to touch them but do not know how to control their strength. The boys have forgotten they were babies once too and they were like this too. They couldn't believe me when I told them they have done the same too. They have declared "We hate babies! NO babies in the house!" until ....
Y: Can we invite S&W(their classmates) to our house to play?
Me: Yes we can. We will invite the whole family and that includes the baby sister.
Y&K: BABY??!!!
Me: Yes.
Y: Why they have baby?
K: Can the baby don't come?
Me: No, we have to invite everyone. The baby is not going to stay home alone.
Y: But I just want S&W to come.
Me: That's not going to happen. If you invite the brother, we have to invite the sister.
K: Never mind. Maybe the baby won't come. I think the baby like to stay home... I think... Maybe... maybe the baby won't come.
Me: No, the baby WILL come.
K continues chanting... no... the baby won't come, the baby doesn't like to come...
After a few incidents at the playground where they were nasty to young babies, screaming when they get close to them.
Me: I don't like your behavior towards the babies just now.
K: I don't like babies, they spoil my toys and they hit me.
Me: What happens if we have a baby in our family? Are you going to be nasty to the baby too?
K: Then I will share my toys with the baby. But only baby toys ok? Is it a baby girl or baby boy? I want boy.
Me: ????
That reply took me by surprise, so maybe they don't hate babies that much after all. I'm just looking forward to see their reaction when their friend's baby sister come over. They mix around with older cousins who give in to them. I hope they can learn to be tolerant towards younger children just like their older cousins.
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