Siblings

It feels like a war zone around here some days. Sassy and Chunky used to get along so well - he looked up to her and she was very patient and nurturing toward him. Disharmony abounds lately. SCENE 1 - we are running errands and I ask cherubs if they'd like to pick up something to eat. Sassy says she just wants to go home and "fend" (this is what we call free-for-all-mother-does-not-cook-anything-grazing). Chunky says he wants Arby's. We're mere blocks from Arby's so I turn in that direction. Sassy demands to know why we're going to Arby's when she said she wanted to fend (ah, teenagers and their indignant self-righteousness). I offer her the opportunity to get out of the car in 9 degree weather to get a head start or wait until I go through the drivethru for her brother (and myself truth be told). Then she requests mozzarella sticks. Chunky exclaims he wants mozzarella sticks as well. I remark that mozzarella sticks are not a suitable, healthy choice for dinner then realize we are at Arby's afterall and what the heck, you only live once so compromise by getting them one order of 4 mozzarella sticks to share (how many times can I reference "mozzarella sticks" in this post?). I hand the sticks to Chunky and Sassy immediately demands that he pass them back to her (I will spare you the description of a previous scene in which they fought over "shotgun" seating - suffice to say Chunky won). I explain that I purchased for both of them and she acts like I just killed her life's dream ("all I asked for was one thing and I can't even have that"). Chunky says, "I just want one". She says "No, they're mine". I tell them in another second I'm going to eat them all. Chunky says, "I'll just have half of one". She says "No, they're mine" and starts crying. I theaten to throw them out the window and Chunky says "you can have them, they're not THAT important" and she grabs them out of his hand. It's like trying to broker Middle East peace around here. Then, every once in awhile a miracle happens. SCENE 2 - Sassy has two girlfriends over and they're talking about their brothers (the girlfriends have older brothers who both went away to college this year). The other girls talk about how they really look up to their brothers and how much they enjoyed having them home over the holidays. I'm around the corner so they don't know I can hear them and Sassy says "sometimes my brother is so cute, he's not that bad". My heart melted: a new year miracle!