Strength in Numbers

My children never cease to amaze me.

Let me set the stage for you. I grew up with no siblings. My younger sister is 12 years younger than me and the relationship was more akin to caregiver than it was to sibling. So, there are many times when I am appalled by the sheer emotion that each of my boys can evoke from each other. You can see the rage in my oldest's eyes, a normally docile and happy-go-lucky kid, when his middle brother enters (just enters) his bedroom.

This weekend I was just as astonished by the overwhelming strength of their compassion as well.

I was gardening outside and had more yard work to complete. During the day, it was like working in molten lava outside but as the evening approached, it became more temperate. So, boys in bed, I headed back outside to complete my chores. I had told the boys I would be just outside so to settle in and I would check on them when I was done.

When I got back inside the house, Aiden was asleep on Liam's floor. It seems Aiden had been calling me and got scared when I could not hear him so Liam created a 'mommy' game. Aiden would call and Liam would answer him, pretending to be mommy. They did not want to wake the baby so Liam got out Aiden's sleeping bag and pillow and helped Aiden get set up in Liam's room. Now, before you put another loonie in the counselling jar to pay for the counselling that my kids inevitably will need, I think the whole thing was really cute.

When I came back in it was almost an hour later and Liam was still awake. He was watching Aiden, a trick he learned from his parents, while Aiden slept. He said, "He's so cute when he sleeps."

Yes, Little One, you are all cute when you sleep. You see, given another day, another mood, Liam would have been just as likely to shout back that mommy had left never to return. Sigh, rejoice in the baby steps!