I've seen a glimmer of the adult she can and will be once she gets through this stage. She moved home this summer but now that they're in a house I don't expect her to move back again at all, though I do hope she's a frequent visitor. I'm now enjoying the prospect of the next three years of one-on-one time with my son. It is an interesting reversal--she had the first three and a half years of my full attention, before her brother was born. He has always had a sibling here, but now it is just the two of us. There are merits to both ends of this spectrum, and in both, as a parent I can make a big impact on their lives. She learned to read in those first 3 years, and in these last three he will learn to think independent of a sibling influencing his voice. They get along very well, but she tends to be a bit protective when he doesn't need it.

SRS