What do siblings do?
They play together.
They fight.
They have tender moments that make you say, "How sweet!"
They have moments that send one or both of them to time out.
They love each other.
They cheer for each other.
They are friends.
These are all true things about Jaycee and Elijah. For the most part, they have a regular sibling relationship. Elijah has grown up with a sister with Down syndrome but he just thinks of her as his sister. He is aware that she can't talk much and is different in that respect. He understands and verbalizes that Jaycee has Down syndrome, but it's as if it's no big deal at our house.
I feel blessed because they almost always get along. The thing that annoys Elijah the most is when Jaycee tries to kiss or hug him too much. That's usually the biggest compliant from him. He'll say, "There's no time for kissing. Stop!"
Jaycee and Elijah really care for each other. When Jaycee was in the hospital a few months ago, Jaycee would ask for "bubba" several times. Her face would glow when he came to the hospital to visit.
Likewise, Elijah misses Jaycee when she's sick. He'll ask if she's ok. When I tell him I'm taking her to the doctor, he'll ask what's wrong with sissy and if she's going to the hospital. He has concern for her.
Elijah is also Jaycee's friend. Over the past few months, I have witnessed Elijah on several different occasions introduce Jaycee to friends he met at the park or friends at school. He'll say, "This is my sister. Her name is Jaycee." I think it's sweet that he introduces her since she can't do it for herself. I never told him to do this. He started doing it on his own.
It is my hope and prayer that these two will continue to be life long friends.
No comments:
Post a Comment