Now it begins....

I knew this day would come. I guess I didn't think it would be quite this soon. But now that Luke is in the full-on army crawl mode and yesterday learned to pull himself to standing, life has changed in a major way around our house.

Prior to this, Luke was an adorable lump that Max could love on whenever he saw fit. But now, he's the little brother capable of getting in the way, and causing destruction to anything in his path. That block house that took 20 minutes to build? Seconds to destroy. A parade of little people, animals, and construction vehicles? Watch out for the drooling beast that wrecks the path in an instant. I can understand why Max gets frustrated.

But that doesn't make the retaliation that is starting to happen acceptable. Laying on your baby brother is not ok. Yanking things out of his hands will not fly in this house. Screaming when Luke even eyes the toys will just get you in trouble yourself.

So I find myself now put in the referee position. Unfortunately, I'm a referee without a rule book. While I firmly believe that toys WILL be shared in this home, what about toys that aren't appropriate for the youngest child? Will they be expected to co-play, or is it whoever has it first gets to play with it first? Is there a safe zone where each child is guaranteed some space from the other? (And can you tell that this is coming from an older child who didn't love to share with her little sister?)

So what are the rules in your house? Help me figure this out - because the ornery look in their eyes only tells the beginning of the story!