Famly, Friends, Siblings for Life

It has been one of my greatest joys to spend my time being a mother. These kids have been in each of each other's lives. I have often said that I learned to be a good friend by first being a sister. I, being the middle of five kids. Each of my five kids have lived in a home where each person is celebrated for their unique individual personality. The unique design straight from God.

How do you celebrate each individual child in your home?  I look at Emerson below. Since the boy could hold a guitar, a microphone, a mandolin, and pluck his little fingers at the piano he has loved music.  Along with Elliot and Emily. Three out of five is not bad for the gift and passion for music. We have scoured many garage sales for instruments to practice on. Encouraging those musical passions.

My children have learned to give and to take, and to wait and to share. And if you asked each one of them today who their best friends are, all five would say each other. I witnessed something on Mother's Day weekend. Young men who are caring and thinking of each other. I use to pray that someday when they all grow up they would want to hang out together, be friends, and desire to be in relationships with each other. The Saturday before Mother's Day Ethan asked his older brother Elliot, and his wife Sarah to coffee. He then invited Eric and Emerson. There was that split second when I almost said, "I want to come." But I held back. Today was that prayer being answered. Ethan had some birthday money and he wanted to take his brothers and Sarah to coffee.

They are all growing up. These pictures found in my archives. Pictures I had no idea I had. When I found them, I just stared at each one. Their faces and the joy of being brothers many years ago and still today. I pray that as the years go by they will always look back on the friendships they had with each other growing up.

Elliot and Emerson, my oldest and youngest building Lego's together. Believe it or not this picture has not changed much, they have only gotten bigger. I have been asked over the years what I have done as a mother to build these friendships. Emily is not in these pictures, but she, too  just as much part of the sibling friendship factor. What do I do?  I think the most important part of mothering my children was to teach them to serve each other. Teach them to be helpers to each other. Teach them to always speak kindly to each other and teach them to apologize to each other.

Each of them will always remember the little chairs facing each other. If you had a conflict, even at a young age, you would be asked to sit in a time-out facing each other. The instruction was that both had to talk to work it out and come to a mutual agreement. And then they could invite me into the conversation to assure that all was well.

There will always be days when we struggle at a parent. There are many sleepless nights, or waiting for curfew, or homework, or reading.  All those days will soon pass and one day you will look back and ask yourself what did I teach my children? Teach them to be friends with each other and they will have friends for life.