I was so impressed with the behavior of both of my sons at the birthday party for my 3 year old. We had a very small party for him. Only family members and our 7 year old neighbor attended. I thought my 5 year old was going to explode with jealousy when it came time for presents. But I was pleasantly surprised. He seemed genuinely happy for his little brother. And his little brother had no problem sharing his new toys. It was all just a little too perfect.

Well it did not take long for reality to set in. Actually, it took about 24 hours for the gloves to come off. My 5 year old forgot how stingy he was at his last birthday, and my 3 year old remembered how stingy he is every day. I’m not sure Optimus Prime himself could have stopped these two and their battle for the greatest transformer. So mom and dad spent their Sunday afternoon playing referee to two sugar buzzed toddlers. We finally brokered some peace with a pile of moon sand. A peace that would unfortunately only last until bath time, when the battle for the ultimate shark toy began. Hopefully all the excitement in one day will make for a peaceful night of sleep. We shall see…