Brotherly Love

As Jimmy gets older and (slightly) more mature, he’s growing more tolerant of his ever-present little brother.  Their first year together was a bit rough, with Jimmy agitating Danny and Danny agitating Jimmy.  But ever since we moved the boys into the same room, Jimmy has taken a more paternal approach to his dealings with his brother, trying to instruct him on the various ways of life.  I overheard him this morning giving Danny the following lesson: “…Number Three, Don’t Bang the Table; Number Six, Don’t Break the Window…”  Jimmy likes to take credit whenever Danny learns a new word or concept, and Jimmy has been consenting to Danny’s daily requests to sit together in Jimmy’s crib.  I wouldn’t say they’re close buddies yet, but I think they’re moving away from the “adversary” designation and into more neutral territory.  This afternoon, Jimmy asked if he could “hold” Danny, so I sat Jimmy down and told Danny to sit in his lap.  Danny happily backed up and plopped down in as much of Jimmy’s lap as he could.  Jimmy wrapped his arms around him and Danny closed his hands over his big brother’s.  I quickly snapped as many photos of this rare moment as I could, since I didn’t know when it would happen again (especially since it was sandwiched between several shoving and shouting matches between the brothers!).  I pray that one day the boys will understand what a gift it is that they have each other – and how powerful an alliance they’ll need to survive the reign of their big sisters!