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Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Little sister keeps big brothers busy
My two sons are great big-brothers.
I was concerned when the Princess arrived that the boys would feel displaced, bitter even, towards their little sister.
My fears were quickly waylaid.
Not that things are always perfect, she does have a special affinity for their bedroom and toys which drives them crazy.
“MOOOMMM!!!! Sissy is in our room again!!!”
This is usually followed by a slamming door and a screech from Sissy who just wants to eat their Legos, climb on their beds and rip pages from their books.
But, despite this ongoing matter, the boys really do look out for her.
They keep an eye on the gate at the top of the steps, always telling me when it has been left open. They both like to hold her tight while going down the slide, read to her, play with her, dance with her and teach her new words (which so far, have thankfully not been the 4-letter ones they are learning on the school bus).
To say the least, I am proud of my sons for being so thoughtful and caring when it comes to Sissy.
However, I did not realize just how caring they really are - the lengths they are willing to go for her - until recently.
We were eating dinner at our favorite local Mexican restaurant that happens to have a fountain in the middle of it.
Following dinner, the kids were all surrounding the flowing waters, tossing in pennies (don’t worry, it didn’t turn into a dunking incident).
I watched from our table as the boys each held Sissy’s hand, keeping her from doing a header into the water.
My heart was melting when I noticed my 7-year-old began to lean over towards Sissy.
“What is he doing?” I thought.
Then it hit me: No, it couldn’t be. But, yep, it was. He did “the sniff-test!”
In the midst of a throng of people eating dinner, my oldest son was mimicking an ingrained mom reflex and giving a quick sniff to Sissy’s behind.
“Mom! I think Sissy needs a new diaper!” he hollered over the noise of the restaurant.
Everyone at our table - and a couple of others - erupted into laughter.
I scooped up Sissy and gave her a sniff-test of my own.
“So, are you going to change her?” I asked my son.
Apparently, his concern for Sissy’s well being stops at the sniff, but nonetheless, she’s a pretty lucky little girl.
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