The unexpected birthday gift

Tomorrow is a big day for my 8 year old son, Kevin. He will finally turn 9. It’s not just that he is one year older, but the day also means he is no longer the same age as his younger brother. You see, my youngest children are 11 months apart so for a few weeks each year, the rest of the family loves to remind them that they are actually the same age. You can also guess how well this goes over with Kevin.

We’ve never made a big deal over birthdays in our house because with five boys between the ages of 23 and 8, my husband and I try to keep things simple. It is a day to celebrate with family. The kids get to pick out their favorite meal for dinner and get a few small gifts. Tomorrow is an extra special day for Kevin because he gets to share a birthday treat with his ‘friend’ who was also born on August 6th.

Little does Kevin know that this special treat has turned out to be as much of a gift to me as it is to him. You see, his ‘friend’, Andrew, happens to be the 23 year old friend of his oldest brother. I smiled when I saw the boys planning their celebration this past weekend. The smile wasn’t because Kevin was excited, it was because I stopped to acknowledge that my older boys have surrounded themselves with a great group of friends. They have played endless games of soccer, wiffle ball and frisbee together. I can’t begin to count the number of times the older boys and their friends were interrupted while playing video games or watching movies that needed to be turned off when toddlers walked into the room and I seldom heard any signs of frustration.

I took for granted that I rarely had to ask the older boys to let their siblings be a part of their lives. They just did. Maybe I should expect it to happen that way because we are all family, but I am a realist and I know everyone wants to have their own friends and their own lives. My boys have managed to have their lives and at the same time make sure their 2 wide eyed little brothers don’t feel left out of the fun. For that I am truly grateful and will smile a little brighter when Kevin shares his treat with Andrew tomorrow.