Sibling loving

The one thing I cling onto in our chaotic life is seeing the love this family has for each other

My 18 and 9 year old have an amazing relationship, their not really ones for fighting with each other, they do like to annoy each other for the fun of it but no fighting or name calling, hitting etc
They do mess fight and fart in each other faces etc

They share the same armchair and they take selfies together, play games on the phone etc together and snuggle up and watch DVDs together

My 9 year old is also great with the auties, he's always giving them a cuddle, playing with them and you'll catch glimpses of him Sharing some chocolate or crisps with them from his party bag or treat he got in the shop

My 18 and 9 year old also understand how tired we are, they help with chores like putting clothes away, cleaning the house, helping put away the shopping and making school lunches, they'll also help out with dinner prep and load and unload the dishwasher

My 18 year old changes her fair share of nappies and helps with bathing the twins and the usual every day tasks
She'll make an awesome mother some day and her brother will be a very good husband
He is his daddy's son that's for sure

They are just so loving and considerate of each other, their autistic siblings and us their parents

They make getting through it easier, we really couldn't do it without them
We always make jokes about the team work that goes into everything, how everyone has their role

Like cleaning a shit smear, we all have our station and rhythem and gastric bug, again we have our stations and it makes getting it sorted ten times faster, we are like a tag team

I try spoil my 18 and 9 year old a bit to let them know they matter and are loved and appreciated, I think this helps the balance as their life is no ordinary life, they take on as much stress as we do, I think it also makes them more willing to help, they are not being taken advantage of, they are not told or made to help they are asked and offer, and are rewarded for it

We seem to have a good balance and we're the type of parents that allow our kids to speak up if things aren't great and ask how can we make it better, there is not much fighting from anyone in the house

We went through a horrendous argumentative phase with DD between the ages of 7 to 15, I honestly didn't think we'd survive it but was pure anxiety as she can't reason or rationalise
Cbt has helped with this over the years as has prozac, that's her wonder drug
CBD did not work for DD, it heightened her anxiety and made her very paranoid and on edge

We may have the craziest of moments in this house but there is a lot of laughter around those crazy moments