In my last post I wrote about being busted by Caroline for yelling at Thomas. It was a moment I won’t forget. But it isn’t the first time one of the two has stuck up for the other.
Recently Caroline was given a timeout for throwing her food to the floor (twice, in open defiance) because we wouldn’t turn on the TV during dinner. Timeouts for Caroline involve her being placed in the corner of the room, facing away from everything and everyone. Any other arrangement and she just turns it into a game.
On this particular occassion, because the offense occurred during dinner, it took some extra effort to set up the time out. So both Liz and I were momentarily distracted. When I returned my attention to the table, I was slightly startled to find Thomas sitting in his chair with his shoulders slumped, chin pressed firmly to his chest, and his bottom lip sticking out.
“But, I d-d-d-didn’t want her to have a timeout.”
And then the tears came in giant drops running down his cheeks.
And so it has been these last two months or so. As Caroline has matured so has their relationship. They both actively seek each other out to play. Caroline brings Thomas his shoes and shares her snacks. Thomas brings her toys and helps her down stairs.
They empathize with each other. They worry about each other. They seek each other out. They hug and kiss each other goodnight.
They love each other.
It is a love that is their own. It is different than what either has with me or Liz. It belongs to them and just them. It’s a beautiful thing to see.
16 Comments
So sweet!
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That’s so awesome! My son adores his older sister so much that he gets teary-eyed when she gets scolded. It’s amazing how suddenly the kids “feel” for each other, isn’t it?
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I need Kleenex.
That was beautiful. I hope if I’m ever blessed with another child Ava will have that kind of relationship with her sibling.
How blessed you must feel to witness such awesomeness.
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Sibling love is awesome! Mine are 10.5 months apart and they are like twins. When one of them isn’t around the other one doesn’t know what to do.
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I love seeing that relationship develop between siblings. My two oldest are now 12 and 10 and some days I think they’ve forgotten they love each other- but I know they used to- and I’m sure they still do.
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My ears welled up for just a tiny second. Then I sucked it up.
Nice post.
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Um, my EYES welled up for just a second. It’s still morning, you know.
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Gah, this is so sweet. Sure make me cry. ;)
I think mine were about that age when they suddenly really realized that they had an equal, instead of someone stealing their world. It is a great thing to watch siblings together.
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I can only relate this to my own relationship with my brother. (As usual, odd blogger out.) It took us until our 20s before we bonded like that, so it must be incredibly special to watch their relationship bloom so early.
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This is precious. Also, SOMETHING IN MY EYE. Watching that bond develop is amazing.
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Thats so sweet. My 5yo son & 2yo daughter are also a great team. Although I have found that as they get older, they are fighting more. Hopefully that doesn’t happen to your little people too. Nice post.
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tears welling up…I see this in my girls who are 9 yrs apart. I love it because I had the complete opposite with my brother. It’s a beautiful thing
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My girls are 3.5 years apart, and it’s wonderful to see them care about each other. I’ve learned that when they’re fighting, I just need to be the “bad guy” and they’ll be back on the same team in no time. It’s them against the world, just as I always hoped it would be.
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My sister and I were exactly the same. But not as cute.
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I had fully intended to write a smartass comment about how my kids were beating the crap out of each other and how not all kids can be as wonderful as those Henry kids. But then my 3 year old threw up (trust me, I’m going somewhere with this). When my 6 year old heard that his brother threw up, he said “I’m going to be really nice to him for a few days” and then he started rubbing his brother’s back. When he grabbed a water bottle I asked him what he was doing. He replied, “I’m getting him some water. When I threw up I had to drink water so I’m making sure he drinks a lot of water”.
I guess my kids are wonderful too.
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Wow…I can’t wait for my two youngest to get to that point of interaction and love for each other. Right now I can see it starting between the 2yo and the 15yo (yeah, she’s a slow-butt lol). The 2yo will tell the 15yo she’s her best friend, and I just kinda get all gooey and mushy lol
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