The safety of an older brother is one that I will never know. I've got brothers to spare, but I'm the oldest. And so, I walked into most birthday parties of my childhood on my own.
My Mason, however, has his Cooper. The Coop. Never a fear has flitted across his determined brow when bravely he strides into a birthday party. Regardless of who else is invited, The Coop just shows up and has a good time. Mason does not. He is anxious far ahead of the moment we cross the threshold to said funhouse. He tries to hide and mutter and shuffle into a corner -- hoping no one is the wiser for him having arrived at all.
But wherever Cooper goes, Mason will follow. Or rather, sometimes he is too uncertain to follow and it is then that I rely on Cooper to draw little Mas-a-roni out. Taking his hand and leading the way the two plunge into the fun that is meant to be had, but that Mason cannot find on his own.
It will be so hard for me to protect Cooper from the obligation of always assisting Mason. But I must remember that eventually, and some of the time, Cooper will want to go his own way without a tag-along. And Mason soon enough will bravely speak up for himself, I hope. Be loud and proud little brother, loud and proud!
2 comments:
I totally understand. Erin and I did everything together - we had different best friends in grade school, but both of us were always invited to the party so the other wouldn't feel bad. But it grew to be a kind of crutch. I was scared to go anywhere by myself. It didn't help that we always went to college and lived together. But then, eventually, I wanted to do things on my own. And I'm sure Erin did too. And I discovered how empowering it was to do things and meet people on my own. I'm sure the same will happen with the boys (though they sure make a cute pair).
I hope their love for each other lasts forever. They are blessed to have each other.
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