Sibling bonding

We had a birthday party to go to today and had to make a quick stop at Target, and so while Leah ran in the kids and I stayed in the car and waited for her. Ethan and Samara were playing together and it caught my eye. The game was simple but it made me think of the times they do well and the times they don't, because this is one of the questions I get asked most.

Ethan, being the big brother he is, thinks that his age and seniority give him the right to each toy regardless of whether he actually had it first or not......or whether or not it was even his toy. A lot of times as he's taking something from Samara she doesn't react much and just let's him have it, however occasionally she'll disagree with him and let us know.

Sometimes the silliest things will end up being a toy, things that you would never expect a kid to play with or what they would even find interesting about it (like a receipt from the store), but Samara will just play with them and laugh at them more than any toy just lying around the house. She has this yellow toy pom pom that we have in the car that she likes, probably because of her sensory issues, and her and Ethan will play with it and just giggle and giggle.

Today Samara was watching her big brother shake his head side to side, like he was saying no, and then she would laugh and do the same, then he would laugh and follow suit. This went back and forth for a little while and I could see everything in the mirror. It made me realize everything would ultimately end up being just fine, and that they really do enjoy each other and love each other. Following the head shaking was the pom pom, which Ethan will shake at her and then Samara will grab and pull on it. Again, doesn't look to be real fun but somehow it works for them.

Ethan is always trying to give his little sister hugs and kisses but she doesn't want to have anything to do with that and will show her displeasure quickly, but it's nice that he feels that way and will try. Many times Samara isn't into what he is playing with and Ethan will get frustrated because she's not playing with him, but she does love when he runs around the house! She will just cackle with laughter and try to run with him, usually getting run down or tripping over her own feet while laughing all the way.

It's wonderful to watch moments like this knowing that not only are we trying to get her to bond and attach to us as parents, but also to create a strong bond with her brother as well!