Obviously having my girls 1/2 the time, it's not always a party when they are with me. I am just naturally a laid back person so some things just don't bother me or hit my radar. Her son's bed time is 7:30, they start the process at 7 pm with teeth brushing, book reading, and prayers. My girls bed time is 8:30 and I am not nearly as structured. So there are some major differences If she asks me for advice I will give it but I have never questioned her or corrected her when she is disciplining her son. That said I also don't want to restrict my girls from things they enjoy just because she doesn't allow her son to have it. for example, my girls wanted juice with dinner....I really don't care however she wouldn't let him have juice it was either milk or water. Again, just some differences.
Her also is bigger than mine and paid off. Both are 4 bedrooms but she has more square footage. Both my daughters, especially my oldest would want her own bedroom. Her son has his own room so there are two other bedrooms that are not being used. Her sister comes flys in from California once a month to visit and stays in one of the rooms. That's great and all but I would not want that to be a factor/cause for my girls having to share a room.
I know some of this stuff is really minor in the grand scheme of things however I don't want my daughters feeling like they are second class citizens because he is the only kid she has and is the prodigal son. I won't let that happen, it's very much on my radar.
We actually almost kind of got into it on Friday night. My oldest asked her a question about something on a bottle and the Dr. kind of snapped back that she could read the side of it. I turned my head real quick, shot her a look and she apologized immediately. So the kid/parental navigation is definitely challenging.
Her son is a very sweet little boy, just very immature, still very babyish. Wimpy, carries around stuffed animals, calls people character names, giggles all the time. He is only 8 but I guess boys mature slower than girls. And of course she thinks he is so smart, and the brightest kid in the room. It's kind of annoying to be honest. I just want to tell him to nut up and be a man, quit crying and acting like a little baby. Those are the times I just go home and enjoy the silence.
