Being a Brother

"Sometimes being a brother is even better than being a super hero"

We have always felt like birth order of our children was important. God gave us Grayson to
"lead the pack of siblings". It fits him. He is orderly and likes things to be right. Just. Right. It fits him to be a leader and we have tried to build on that. Now that the "big kids" are growing into kids versus toddlers, we really spend a lot of time explaining to him his role and responsibility in our family. He has taken to it well. Today, I overheard two conversations between the big kids that just did my heart good...

The first happened in the car. He mentioned how he would be starting school soon and how excited he was. This, of course, got Ada wondering when she was going to school too! So I told her who her teacher was going to be and when she would start going. Grayson was delighted to know that she was going to have the same 3K teacher he had! And with that, he began to explain to her, in the very BEST big brother way, how she may be a little nervous at first, but that she would have lots of fun. He also had a lot more to say about "all that he learned at preschool". He ended his little speech with this "you will sit on the wall everyday in carline, and Mama, Grady, and I will be there everyday to pick you up". Something about him telling all of this to his sister in such a sweet way, did my heart so much good. I realized, he is getting it. He really gets it. I smiled for a long time after that!

And then again, this afternoon, they were being so incredibly sweet (said with much sarcasm) that they were wrestling and beating up on each other...I ended up having to intervene and enforce some punishment. This is never fun!! But I took the time to tell each of them how wrestling is just not something we can do even if we are playing because people get hurt and all that stuff! At the end of my preaching, I asked ada to go in the room where Grayson was and talk about it. I snuck up to find my sweet big kids embracing one another in the BEST big sibling hug ever! You could hear them explaining how they needed to calm down and not wrestle, and with that they picked out a bucket of trucks and sat down to play. You talk about smiling!! I couldn't believe it!!! I realized, right then, they get it. They really get it! They may not always do it, or like it...but they get it!! :)