My Little Big Man

This picture was taken back in 2005 when Michael was 4 and Claire was 3. I remember never being able about to think of Michael and Claire without each other. It was almost as if they came together in a package and just couldn't be separated. Because they are so close in age, they hung out together all day and really didn't know life without the other. Trying to think into the future was difficult for me back then because I knew that they would have to separate and the idea of that was a lot for me to handle.

Kids are resilient and while we had many days where Claire missed Michael when he was in preschool, they eventually got used to being apart for a few hours every day. They have adjusted nicely to the separation and have made the adjustment every time one of them starts a new routine (i.e. preschool, kindergarten, first grade).

The sight of the two of them together still tickles me to this day. While they do argue and bug the heck out out of each other at times, they are truly connected in their hearts and need each other. I am writing about their relationship because the today they had the sweetest little exchange I have seen in a long time.

It was a typical school morning as we pulled into the school parking lot for drop off. Because I am trying to take it easy and not do anything that I don't have to do- I thought maybe Michael could walk Claire into Kindergarten. The school parking lot is set up in a way where you can only walk in certain areas and one of the rules is that Kindergartners need to be walked into the Kindergarten courtyard by an adult or a sibling. Michael took his new challenge very seriously and told me he would take care of it. Both Michael and Claire left the car and instead of walking in front of her (like he always does) Michael walked beside her and made conversation. As I watched the two of them walk away from me- I had one of those moments where I knew I did well for them. I taught them to love each other and it brought me great satisfaction to see them interacting this way. I watched Michael walk Claire through both crosswalks and in an instant, they both disappeared from my view into the Kindergarten courtyard. I craned my neck for a while to see if I could see Michael come out from the courtyard but after a few minutes, I left for home.

When Claire got home from school today- I could hardly wait to hear how things went in the morning. I think I felt a little guilty that I didn't walk her in myself so I wanted to make sure she was okay with how things went. My instructions to Michael were to walk her in, take her to the bench, and then say goodbye. Well, Claire told me that's not how things went. Michael did walk Claire in and did walk her to the bench. What he didn't do was leave. Instead, he stood with all the Moms and Dads on the side of the courtyard for about five minutes and waited for Claire's teachers to come out and ring the bell for class to start. My heart melted. She told me he waved goodbye to her and then headed to first grade. I was blown away by Michael's devotion to Claire. I loved the confidence he had to stand with all the Moms and Dads and wait (and I am sure he waited with his hands in his pockets as he always does when he is feeling grown up or cool). I love that without being asked, he knew the right thing to do for Claire (and for my heart). This expression of love, the very thing that binds these two beautiful siblings- was so clear and true this morning. I gushed to him when he got home from school about how proud I was of him. I also let him off the hook and told him that when he helps me drop off Claire in the Kindergarten courtyard- he really truly could just walk her to the bench and leave. Whether he will do this in the future or not is not for certain. But what is certain is that Michael loves his little sister Claire and I look forward to seeing these two as they grow older together. My little babies . . .