Growing up in a big family can teach you a lot. Sometimes you pair off and the lessons become those of friendship. You try to make sense of what it means to be a friend. And you practice on your sibling. Or so is the case in my family. I have four children and the middle two are less than two years apart in age. They are my two peas in the pod. My son tries to run the show insisting that in order to be “on my team” you have to wear the same outfit at all times. Unfortunately for him, his “sidekick” desperately wants to be the main character in their super hero story. She often calls the shots which means more times than not, my son has to strip down to just his underwear like her. As their mother, I try my damnedest to teach them that friendship isn’t about outward appearances. It has nothing to do with the clothes you wear. Rather, it has everything to do with how you treat others. How you play together. How you look out for one another. How you have each other’s back no matter what. I have a sneaking suspicion that I am wasting my breath. These two will most likely be on the same team long after this early phase in their friendship ends.
