Brotherly Love

I recently read a novel by Nicholas Sparks titled 3 Weeks With My Brother.  It is a memoir of his childhood and of a trip he took with his brother.  Anyway, one part of the book really struck me.  He talked about how his mother - when tucking her children in each night - would ask each child privately to tell 3 nice things that their siblings did that day.  Nicholas Sparks recalls that it wasn't always easy to think of 3 nice things his brother did but he always came up with something - even if it was that he didn't hit him as hard as he usually does.  His mother said that when she started doing this small bedtime routine she noticed a shift in her sons behaviors. They came to realize that even though they argued and fought they were brother's 'til the end and they slowly gained a deeper respect for each other.

It got me thinking about my own boys and how I know deep down there is a bond that can never be broken - just on the surface it's sometimes hard to tell.  So I've been trying out this new gem I learned from the book.  I really love to hear what they have to say about each other.   And even though they did not get along very well today for some reason - they both had no trouble finding the good in each other and had plenty to share tonight.

For Jack and Nicholas:

TIP#2 - You are brothers for life.  Always love and respect each other.  

Sometimes being a brother is even better than being a superhero.  ~Marc Brown

(one of my favorite children's book authors)