Rescue mission

Yesterday was a big family party at my parent's place.  I am up north with Pinkie Pie and while most of the visit is fairly low key there is usually one day with all the people and all the activities, and yesterday was it.

Pinkie Pie has a small cousin who absolutely adores her, and generally that works out well.  There is a six year gap between them so they aren't going to have a lot in common but Pinkie Pie likes the little guy and wants to be a good big cousin.

However, six year olds have an awful lot of energy and when they attach onto someone it can be completely overwhelming, especially when that someone has limited social energy in the first place.  They played together, running and screaming all about, for an hour or so and then I noticed that the two of them had been missing for a little while.  I went hunting and discovered them in a bedroom with Pinkie Pie lying on a bed with a look of overwhelmed exhaustion on her face, and the little cousin running about the room in a manic state, yelling instructions at her about the next game they were going to play.

I could see that Pinkie Pie desperately wanted to get away but couldn't figure out how to do that.  She felt like she couldn't be honest and tell him she needed him to go away, and she lacked the tricks or guile to be sneaky about it.  I don't lack for tricks and guile though so I created a shiny distraction and dragged the six year old away and left Pinkie Pie in her room alone.  She made a face of massive relief and mouthed 'thank you' at me as we left.

This was a pretty low stakes situation of course, but it was one that made me think about how I handle these sorts of things.  Ideally I would just let the kids run and play and do their thing - there is something amazing about being a parent when you don't have to provide constant entertainment or direction to kids and they take care of themselves.  On the other hand I know how draining it is to be solely responsible for an excited six year old, and it is far more challenging when you lack the authority, practice, and experience that adults can usually bring to bear.

It is odd to have to defend a twelve year old from a six year old.  I would ideally like them to be really close, and for their interactions to be comfortable, but I know that this sort of age gap is tough to cross effectively.  I also know that big family functions are a challenge for introverts like Pinkie Pie and when you toss in a six year old that basically clings to her leg yelling orders for hours on end it is way too much.