Friendships are everlasting

My son’s first birthday has gracefully passed and his maturing continues to surpass my expectations. He is becoming a bright little boy with a curiosity that would rival George. But his days are spent following his sister’s every move, even more than her own shadow would.

It appears he doesn’t have much of an identity that would distinguish them apart. He squeals the same high pitch scream that his sister does and he giggles like a bashful girl. I would say he’s even more sensitive than my daughter.

His passion for books seems to be sparked by watching my daughter’s obsession. He not only shares her love of music but also dances to the Bubble Guppies like no other.

It’s at this point where I am trying to have him develop his own personality and his sister is now hitting a stage where she wants her own independence from him –which breaks his heart. However, I am taking this opportunity to focus on him and allow him to find what he enjoys –separately from her. So far, that is Thomas the Train and all Thomas the Train books.

Since then, I was able to see him flourish in an environment that worked for him. One of my best friends has a son who is 9 weeks younger than my son. Now that they are at an age where interaction is more meaningful, we decided to get them together for an actual play-date (not just a drive by).

Our sons immediately took to each other and it was nice to see that my son didn’t wait for his sister’s command of what to do.  He took charge of his own interest and played nonstop. My daughter was the big sister/friend who diligently played off to the side, while occasionally interacting with the boys. She would give either of them anything that they needed, while favoring my friend’s son a little more.

It was a nice day spent with a great friend. The best part was we were able to get a glimpse of a setting that was in our not so distant future. While sitting at the table on a Friday night, eating pizza and wings and watching our kids all around us, we found it ironic that these kids will probably be best friends. It will be a nice journey watching them all grow up together and my other friend’s children won’t seem so much older at that point (because right now, 1 year difference means a lot as toddlers or preschoolers).

 And that’s how it works, one minute we’re hovering over our children –watching their every move. The next, they’re eating their separate pizza and wings downstairs in the finished basement so the “parents” don’t cramp their style. I am incredibly lucky to have a great group of friends with great children for my two babies to grow up with. I know we all have the same morals, values, and traditions – and hopefully that will prevent them from getting into “too much” trouble when they’re older. The positive side is we all get to embark on this saddened journey of them getting older -together.