I don't know how many of you have read Three Weeks With My Brother by Nicholas Sparks, but it's a good one. It's the true story of his life; in particular the close relationship with his brother. I loved the book because it details the inspiration behind so many of his books, and he is one that has bounced back from so many obstacles.
The point of this post, however, is that there is a part in the book where Nicholas Sparks talks about how his mom used to make all of three of the siblings, say something they love about each while being tucked in bed at night. I loved the idea and so that has become a bed time routine for Thais and me. So far nothing profound has come out of this little exercise but boy do I love it when a big smile creeps across Thaisy's face and she says, "What I love about Sky is I love to play with him"! Same answer every night. Hands down, playing with her brother is the best thing about him.
This picture melts my heart because I think one of the greatest joys I have experienced as a mother is watching my babies interact. I love to watch them play. I love how much they adore each other (don't get me wrong they fight and tease with the best of them) but they are still always friends.
One night Skyler fell asleep at 4:00 in the afternoon, so at about 7:00pm Thais and I snuck in his room to check on him. As we were slipping quietly out of the room, Thais got a big smile on her face and said, "Oh Man, we just love that boy"! We do. She does. That makes me happy.
I even love that Skyler "tattles" now. His whole goal is to get Thais sent to her room, and then the minute I put her in he runs and unlocks the door for her to get let out. It makes me laugh because I used to do the same thing with my little brother.
I just have this sense that close sibling relationships don't always happen by chance. As their mom, I have to foster it. Like Nicholas Sparks' wise mother,kids need to be asked what they love about each other. I want to teach them that we're a team and remind them that friends come and go-but their friendship is one that lasts forever. I want Thais to look out for Sky at school and instill in them a firm sense of loyalty ....
But for now, I just love watching their frienship develop! Seriously, It's the best.
3 comments:
This is great, D! My girls are at such a fighting junction...this is just what I needed to hear. I think I'll steal and adapt it to: what was your favorite part of the day with (insert family member)?
Loved this post, loved that book (I listened to it on CD and loved every minute of it since it gave me this vision of my three kids years down the road... of course I was distraught when their mother died but maybe I was taking it too personally... :)). I consider it my life goal to make sure my kids have a close long-term relationship and I have to foster it EVERY day even through the fighting. But it's true you can really see them seriously loving each other and it's absolutely thrilling. I love it. Thanks also for the comment on my blog, I'm sorry I've taken so long to respond! We've just moved from Berkeley and absolutely loved the Bay Area, every minute. Which city are you from? We miss it, wish it wasn't so expensive and that there would be more jobs in the oil industry down there so we could head back ASAP! We seriously loved it that much.
You are so right...those relationships don't just happen by chance. We do have to foster and encourage it. The Family Proc says something along those lines--"teach them to love and serve one another." You are doing a great job and I absolutely love this idea. Now, just gotta get that second one here so we can put it into practice!
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