yesterday i was talking with my sister in law, who is pregnant with her first, about child birth and life with kids. all of our talking got me thinking back to our early days with just one. moonpie was the easiest baby. slept great, nursed well, hardly cried. we were buddies! every where i went, she did too. i remember digging in the garden and handing her worms to hold as a 9 month old. our days were easy and happy. after buddy was born her little world was turned upside down. and rightly so, no kid should go through life thinking only of themselves! i remember the first time i shouted at moonpie. buddy was only 4 days old and she was walking through the house carrying him by his neck. i freaked out and she dropped him. well, he was fine, but she wasn't. after that she wanted NOTHING to do with him. typical to most siblings, we have had a bumpy 2 years with moonpie and buddy. and typical to most mommas, it has grieved my heart. i want nothing else than to see my daughter loving and tending to her brother. especially since he has always loved his sissy. so we work on this daily. constant reminders to be kind, to re-word things, to give hugs, etc. and by night i'm praying kindness over the child. about 2 weeks ago we started to see a shift in moonpie's attitude towards her brother. we are seeing kindness! she has obviously had moments of love towards buddy, but we are now seeing her be a caretaker towards him. playing with him, protecting him on the playground from big kids, singing with him, and just showing genuine concern for him. i can't tell you what this has done for my heart! such joy! now i'm no fool. i have siblings (including a younger brother). i know that relationships have seasons. but i pray that we will now see more seasons of kindness and less sassiness.
when i think of the strongest character trait i would like to see in my children, it is kindness. to me that is showing compassion, respect, strength, courage, consideration, and a healthy self-image in its truest form.
here is a short clip of moonpie singing (with, of course, a brief cameo by buddy dancing a jig).
