Our Daughter's Birthday

Once upon a time AW and I had two little babies. The first was a little boy --- a red haired, blue eyed bundle of energy, affection and temper. Then, three and three quarters years later we had our second child -- a little girl with big eyes, curly blond hair and precocious nature. It was every parents dream -- they were gorgeous, intelligent children with creative minds and robust personalities. I couldn't have been more pleased.

When they were small they did pretty well at keeping the Monster Sibling Rivalry at bay. They had their moments like one Christmas when the Star Wars boxes were larger than the Cricket boxes and the fussing ensued and the tears flowed -- if not kept in check, Christmas can really result in major meltdowns. For the most part, however, he played the big brother role quite well in saving her life and keeping her from getting lost and making sure that she got something new when he went shopping with his grandmother.

When they became school aged kids there was more competition -- mostly centered around school. However, this usually leveled out with both acquiring their share of ribbons and awards. This was the time, however, when the sibling rivalry was the most prevalent. He was almost a teenager -- she was a little sister -- she was annoying and he had a temper. There were times with much flailing of arms and legs and shrieks and banishing to separate rooms. We bought a van with captains seats so they didn't have to sit next to each other. That was a smart move. Mom's hair was getting much greyer by this point.

Fast forward to young adulthood -- a metamorphosis of sorts. She had evolved from a gangley girl to a lovely young woman, dancing her way through high school, excelling in her studies and becoming a serious thinker. His temper was waning and he learned patience and independence as only one can by living on his own and learning about life through experience. They talked. She ran to him in times of distress. He included her in some of his activities -- like going to the coffee house on Cooper. She spent the night in his apartment. They were becoming friends. Mom and Dad gave sighs of relief -- their children were becoming friends.

Fast forward to yesterday. My daughter will turn thirty next week -- a big day for her being met with a bit of trepidation -- so, in order to ease the moment for her, her husband, AW and I are hosting a party for her. Unfortunately, her brother and his family have a scheduling conflict which won't allow them to attend. This saddened my daughter because, even though they still have their moments of picking at each other, her brother is very important to her. However, her brother and sister-in-law rose to the occasion and tackled the issue head on -- they threw her a party! It was a lovely party with a gorgeous, dark chocolate cake made by SIL, party hats and a banner made by sister-in-law and nephew -- the artist in residence. Brother chose a well thought out gift which was a rousing success. It was a wonderful party and I got the joy of sitting back and watching my adult children be what I always hoped they would be -- close to each other -- doing something for each other and caring about each other. I guess at the end of the day that is what all parents want above all. It seems to me that she wasn't the only one to get a gift.