there is something extra special about the relationship between a brother and a sister. or maybe i am biased from my own experience. but what i notice is that much of the competitive nature is taken away- they are inherently different creatures both in their physiology and also their personality and they get that on a very deep level so it seems to almost remove the need to 'prove' themselves and stake their claim in the family. i am sure the 6 year age gap also comes in to play here in a positive way- they are naturally at very different stages of life and interested in very different things. while pilar would prefer to make fairy houses, mateo is just as content to sit on heap of dirt and dig. they are truly opposites in most all ways but they are finding the places where they connect.
pilar and mateo continue to discover one another in new ways. yes, they sometimes love to egg one another on- but that is part of being siblings. what is really beautiful to watch is the way pilar looks out for her little brother. the way she likes to talk about him and what he is doing, new words he is saying. she is a proud big sister. lately she loves to set him up in the sweetest, most cozy, wagon ride complete with blankets and pillows and parade him around the yard and down the street. mateo loves the pampering and pilar loves being in charge (hmm, i see history repeating itself all over again). and mateo really just thinks pilar is the cat's meow. he wants to play with her dolls, he wants her to read to him, he wants to be with her. he loves making her laugh and will do something over and over and over again just to see her smile and hear her big belly laugh.
it is sweet the love that continues to deepen between these two. my hope is that a strong foundation of friendship with one another will offer them lasting friendship and mutual respect for many, many years ahead. i think it will.
