Baby Brawls

My babies have such sweet little faces, you'd never know the kind of demonic fury that's lurking behind those bright eyes and chubby cheeks.

 Do these look like the faces of children who would gladly claw each other's eyes out over a toy phone?

This week we entered a new stage: baby brawls. What used to happen is that one of them would carelessly pluck a toy out of the hands of the other, oblivious to the upset this would case in their twin, and then go about their merry way. The baby who lost a toy would look at me and scream or cry for a few seconds, then move on to something new.

What happens now? One of them tries to take a toy from the other, but the other fights back. So far this week I've had to deal with pushing, scratching, slapping, and attempted biting. My current solution is to intervene quickly when I can, before things get out of hand, and move the toy thief away/redirect him or her. When there's a super desirable object, like the box the mini books come in (I know, right?!) I end up removing the object completely. Which usually leads to epic, five minute tantrums complete with flailing, screaming, and rolling around the floor. Mister Manatee is particularly adroit at making sure everyone within earshot knows how furious he is, and he cannot be easily redirected.

This is a new adventure for me. I've never had to deal with two furious toddlers simultaneously.

Uh-oh, I sense a baby brawl about to happen.