Ever since our daughter met her baby brother, she's been smitten; and since he was able to recognize faces, he's been in love with her too. She is often groggy and a little grumpy when she first wakes in the morning (NO idea from whom she got that...), but the moment she sees him, she lights up and exclaims his name (or one of the nicknames she's developed for him). He lights up when she walks in a room, and follows her when she leaves.
It's been so interesting to see their relationship develop. Now that he's mobile, she's not quite as willing to share with him, and can often be found reclaiming something of hers he found, sometimes not very gently. But no matter what, they are happier when around each other. They play and laugh. She watches out for him, and he looks up to her.
My husband and I both come from families with two children - one boy and one girl. All of us remain pretty close, and would be there for one another in a heartbeat. Though we don't talk or see each other as often as we'd like, my brother and I remain in contact, and can pick up where we left off whenever we do get the chance. My husband's sister lives very close to us, so we're fortunate to see and speak to her more frequently. It is important to me that my kids have a good relationship too.
I wish for them:
The ability to speak openly and honestly to each other.
The comfortability to ask the questions they don't want to ask us (their parents).
The strength to call each other on their crap.
The loyalty to stick up for one another.
The humor to laugh at each other.
The experiences with one another to build a lifetime of memories and stories to tell their children.
The perfect amount of healthy competition to foster personal growth.
The ability to debate each other to learn to defend their points of view.
The generosity to help each other when necessary.
The camaraderie to keep from being lonely.
But most of all I wish them the love and support unique to siblings, in order to maintain their sense of family long after we're gone.
<3
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