When Carnival asked me who I’d like to take on a cruise before they sent me last month, I was obligated delighted to say, “My family, of course!” Then they asked me to write about how my children bonded during our trip. Soooo… I thought about lying, but this is the truth: my kids think annoying each other is a sport. And they are both very competitive.
Feeling festive on our Carnival cruise last month, we ordered up a coconut monkey, filled with a non-alcoholic colada while poolside.
It was a hit! We, the World’s Coolest Parents, were rewarded by the sweet, sweet sounds of sibling rivalry.
My bad.
I’m the fool who dared order only ONE for the TWO to share.
THE HORROR.
Fortunately… unfortunately (for the people around us)? I’ve reached the point of parenting these two that I’ve come to expect these reactions and can tune them out.
That’s good, Kendall. Take one for the team and act like you like her. Leyna, we ALL know you don’t want him to touch you. EVERYONE ON THE ISLAND knows you don’t want him to touch you. Right, right, sand is gross. Uh huh. LOOK HERE! Smile?
Don’t be fooled, though. We’re not. We know that these two are fully capable of not only getting along, but actually enjoying each other’s company. We’ve tested this theory by completely ignoring them and forcing them to fend for themselves.
Survival is easier when your brother is able to help you get the cereal from the top shelf of the pantry, and when your sister lets you know when mom and dad are on their way to seize your tablet.
On the cruise, we had to find other ways to get the bickering to subside, since having them fend for themselves really wasn’t an option. (THANKS, EXCELLENT SERVICE EVERYWHERE.)
I hate to say they loved not having their baby brother there, but I think they loved not having their baby brother there. One parent for each of them at all times, which was only made possible by my generous mother who watched the 20 month old at home while we were gone.
(We’re totally going to have to come up with a better solution for next time, because we’re definitely bringing little bro when he’s a little older. Is it too much to hope the older two will be more civil to each other by then? Don’t answer that.)
They especially loved when we did things with each one of them alone, and that was so easy to do just about everywhere, from excursions to back on the ship.
Although, I think MY very favorite way to end the arguing was to simply drop them off at Camp Carnival for a couple hours. Okay, so we got some kid-free time to enjoy. But also, since they were in different age groups, they were in two different rooms the whole time, so they got a break from each other, too.
And once they were reunited?
Well, at least they were able to bond over my requests for embarrassing pictures.
This post was created for Away We Go with Carnival, the destination for getting in the getaway state of mind.
