How do I make room for my older child without turning every moment into a big-sister reward?
Parenting"Can I be just your girl, not your big girl?" My six-year-old said it while I was praising her for helping after her baby brother's feed.
We have been calling her our brilliant big sister since he arrived three months ago. Visitors bring her little gifts with the same phrase on them. My husband took her for ice cream last weekend as a special big-sister outing. She asked whether he could read her the old bedtime book instead.
She has also started requesting the song I used to sing when she was smaller. I said she was too old for the baby song, then heard myself singing it to her brother ten minutes later. She stood in the doorway and said, "So it still works. Just not for me."
Our evenings are stretched, and I like noticing the ways she helps. But I may be making every bit of attention depend on how well she handles the new role. What would you change first so she can have ordinary time with us, without needing to earn a celebration or act younger to ask for it?