Having multiple young children is so. much. work. Things rarely fall together as you envisioned them, and you spend so much of your time tamping down expectations, feeling frustrated, trying not to feel frustrated, trying to live in the moment, living in the moment, having to intervene to stop whatever is happening in the moment, getting frustrated with the moment, wishing to escape the moment, feeling guilty for that emotion and repeating the cycle all over again.
But then, the following occurs : Silas has asked for the big Maglite flashlight off the top of the fridge. Jonas decides, rather than try to take it away from Silas, they can play a game together. Jonas walks around the house as an explorer, "discovering" whatever is in his path -- a plastic dinosaur, a wooden block, a Lego figurine -- and has Silas shine the flashlight on that object. This goes on a long time.
"Come on, Explorer Silas!"
"I tumming! Here I tum!"
This. This sibling bond that is so unique in its facets of friendship, competition, love, animosity, understanding and frustration, but constant. Constant. They will form this bond with their sister as well. Each of them will have a unique relationship with one another, and I will be the fortunate person who gets to watch it all develop from the vantage point of adulthood.
This is why we've decided to have multiple children. This is why we're having them close together. This is what it is about and what I must remind myself when the exchanges aren't kind or amazing; when we're slogging through the grit and exhaustion of family life. There is so much grit. But so much glorious light as well.
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