When Carter was born, someone wise said to me, “don’t fall into the trap of boasting how much your older kid loooooves the baby. No one’s gonna congratulate you for having such an awesome toddler, and, in a year’s time you regret what you said.”

I did take their advice. Which is why you’ll rarely see me crowing on and on about how fabulous and loving and wonderful Hunter is as a big brother.

Because he’s not. Not ALL the time. This is the reality and this is our reality.

You see, when the baby is born, most toddlers are actually okay with it. In fact, they kinda love the whole novelty of it. It’s only much later that the cracks start to show.. when the baby starts walking, and talking, and… well… fighting.

And sure enough, after Carter started walking, he really started getting on Hunter’s nerves. That’s when all the fisticuffs came out, and we are often now in crazytown full of “He hit me!!”, “He snatched from me!”, ad infinitum. And now, I’m really glad I didn’t smugly declare how Hunter wasn’t jealous when Carter was born, because I realise now the arguments come much later. And there WILL be arguments.

My kids AREN’T angels and they AREN’T lovey-dovey with each other all the time. I’m cool with that. They’re siblings! They were born to argue with each other – sometimes they even argue just for the sake of arguing 😉

But, sometimes I do see rare peeks of these wonderful, amazing, super sweet moments. The kind of stuff that makes me go all goopy inside, and forget that just a second ago they were ready to kill each other.

Moments like these:
 

Carter decided to climb up into Hunter’s bunk bed during nap time. Hunter was gently rubbing his back and stroking his face, whispering little secrets to him. The contented, happy look on Carter’s little face just KILLED me! He was just so perfectly happy, being loved and stroked by his big brother.

A few minutes later, Carter fell asleep. Hunter also fell asleep about a minute after that. And both of them slept, forehead-to-forehead, for the entire nap.

That sight made my whole day. Why can’t they be like this all the time?!