Mushroom

I walked into my mom's house one day last week and found Alyssa sprawled on the ottoman, covered in a towel. Her eyes were closed but there was a ghost of a smile on her lips.

I kissed her forehead and asked if she'd had a good day.

She didn't open her eyes as she whispered, "Shhh, I'm a mushroom."

???

A few seconds later, Olivia and Jaxon bounded into the room, announcing that they'd turned Alyssa into a mushroom because she was a mean witch and they were good witches and they were trying to stop her from casting mean spells on the rest of the house.

Alyssa giggled even as she continued to keep her eyes closed.

My girl was a most excellent mushroom.

Olivia has an injured wing. Poor baby. She fell off the couch yesterday with a little help from her sister, the former mushroom. Alyssa nudged her and Olivia fell, hard.

I ended up taking her to Urgent Care only to be told nothing is broken (whew) and that she probably fell hard and wrenched her arm/neck.

She whimpered in her sleep last night and cried out in pain this evening as I put on her pajamas.

Alyssa felt awful when the 'nudge' happened.

But that's what happens sometimes.

Sometimes siblings adore each other so much they turn one and other into mushrooms. Other times, they need a little space and nudge the other away, often to detrimental effects.

I try not to intervene, though I realize that when one is going to hurt the other, I have to. I didn't see the nudge happen yesterday so I didn't have a chance to intervene.

But I know that they love each other. I see Alyssa share her horses with Olivia and I watch Olivia follow Alyssa from room to room. She adores her big sister, wants to be just like her. And Alyssa's protective nature kicks in when we're around others, she's holds Olivia, cares for her, helps her up and down stairs, etc.

But she's also nine and sometimes, she forgets how much stronger she is than O. And those are the teachable moments, the times when I can remind her that walking away is always better when you're angry or irritated.

We're trying to learn from every moment. If we don't, why bother? Might as well just be a mushroom.