My Brother and My Friend

Dear Big Brother and Little Brother,

Over the past few weeks—I can’t pinpoint an exact date—something special has happened between the two of you. You’ve come to a new level of appreciation and awareness of each other, and a new level of richness in your interactions.

In short, you’re becoming friends.

Sure, Little Brother, you still like to try to bite Big Brother when he won’t give you a toy that you want, and yell, “No!! Mine!!”

And sure, Big Brother, you like to (not really intentionally) knock Little Brother over like a bowling pin when you race past and crash into him while pretending to be Lightening McQueen.

But at other times, you share (usually food or toys) with each other, sometimes without prompting. You were both so happy sharing that ice cream cone at the zoo.

Busy-Mom-E and I have also caught the two of you laughing hysterically at apparently nothing at all, usually while spinning or running circles around each other. We must be on the outside of an inside joke.

Little Brother, you’ll also sometimes ask Big Brother, “Okay?” if something is not quite right with him.

Big Brother, you can be so gentle to Little Brother, even when you’re chasing him around the house.

I must admit to being ever so lightly envious of this fraternal bond. While I consider Busy-Mom-E’s sisters as my family, and not in-laws, growing up as an only child it was just me, myself, and I.

But that envy melts away when I see the two of you giggling uncontrollably at each other. In fact, I couldn’t be happier.

No doubt you’ll be each other’s best man someday.

In the meantime, please be gentle when you start conspiring to make mischief for Mom-E and I.

Love always,
Busy-Dad-E