I love my kids for lots of reasons. They're pretty great. Here's one big reason: they treat each other well. They are friends. Sure, they tease and irritate one another on a regular basis, but for the most part they care for and about each other.
Caleb spent last week at scout camp. It was his first time away for more than a night. I knew it would feel strange to have him gone and that his absence would leave a little hole. He is, after all, nearly the same size as me and eats about twice as much as the rest of us. What I wasn't prepared for was how his being gone would affect his siblings. Marissa in particular was a lost cause. The first couple of days were the worst for her. When she explained her rocky spirits to me, that she just missed her brother, I told her it was normal for her to feel sad since he'd been her friend since the day she was born. She tearfully told me how bored she was without him and how he takes care of her. I suggested she could write him a letter since Jeremy would head up to camp later in the week. This she did, and it was one of the sweetest things. It's one I'll hold on to for a while. [It'll make excellent evidence when they think they hate each other that they don't really.]
Caleb survived camp in one piece and came home to hugs and squeals of joy. I think the kids were a little bashful about the emotion they felt to see each other again. And now they're back to the teasing and the irritating ... and the caring that makes me love them even more.
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