scribblechic

My daughter is ever mindful of her big brother’s movement through the day.  From the beginning, she has followed him in the shadows of his distractions, monitoring his activities and interests with love and admiration.  The comfortable span of four years between them, there has been little cause for comparison, until now.  More socially attune to the world around her, she has begun to lead her big brother creating a new experience between them.

It began with physical cues.  Her brother lost in his own thoughts, she would redirect him with a touch on his shoulder or the small of his back, naturally guiding him into a moment.  Initially she seemed to respond to this need with joy; happily stepping forward and finding a place by her brother’s side.

Recently, my daughter’s voice filled with sadness, she asked me why her brother was born different. She catalogued the spaces between them and I felt my world tilt off course with the weight of consciousness underlying her questions.

As their mother, my heart ached for the answers.  I found my way through a difficult language of love as I acknowledged my daughter’s needs and my son’s truths.  We are all imperfect and in the understanding we sometimes find ourselves called to place our own needs aside in an act of love.  I realized late, my daughter had set aside needs and was placing them carefully in my hands.  Together we are filling in the spaces between our differences and caring for one another’s needs with love and truths.

Tagged: Love, Siblings, Special Needs