Hellobee

Juliet has finally hit an age where she can engage and play somewhat with Drake. I have been eagerly awaiting this stage for both my kids, as I really love seeing my two littles interact.  The plus is that they both seem to adore one another and have for a long time. I was always fearful that Drake would become jealous of his little sister after her arrival, but thankfully that issue never came up.  He has truly enjoyed her since she was a baby and of course she has idolized him for as long as I can recall. Still I know there will come a day when they won’t feel as fond of one another as they do now, but I am hoping by instilling some rituals from a young age, it will help them always see the other person as their friend, partner, and sibling for life.  These are some small things I have been trying to keep consistent with them both right now.

Trick or treating buddies

Greetings and Goodbyes – Since Juliet was a baby, Drake has loved coming with me in the morning when I go to get Juliet up for the day. He always bursts into her room yelling, “Juliet!” when I tell him it’s time. She in return squeals in delight to see him (and me with her bottle). I love seeing how excited they get to greet one another, that when I get Juliet up from her nap I let Drake accompany me to say hello as well. The same goes for when we pick Drake up from school — I always tell Juliet let’s go get Drake, and she knows exactly what that means and marches right up to his classroom door to wait for him. They love saying hello to one another after being apart, so I always make sure greetings and goodbyes are stressed as a way to strengthen their relationship.

Playing Together – It’s hard sometimes to let both Drake and Juliet play together without much intervention from me simply because of their age –Juliet doesn’t understand Drake’s games or how he wants things and will mess things up for him, and he in return is too rough with her which can lead to crying and injuries. I admit it’s hard for me sometimes to not want to step in and separate them for my own sanity, but I realize that they need to figure out how to play with one another too. So I will sometimes direct and suggest games that Drake can do with Juliet that she can manag,e or suggest he teach her how to play properly (even if of course she doesn’t totally get it). Many times I suggest Drake read to her since they both love books and Juliet will listen to anyone reading. This one is a work in progress for sure. but I know as they age it will get easier when Juliet can understand more.

Teaching – In going with playing together, I often remind Drake that Juliet doesn’t know a lot of things and as a big brother he can teach her things she doesn’t know that he does. Juliet is big on imitating right now and will often copy whatever Drake does, so I play up on that and say, “look you can show Juliet how to use a fork like you,” or “show her where shoes go on your body,” etc. Drake gets a kick out of watching Juliet imitate him and she thinks everything with him is fun, so it’s a great way for him to teach and her to learn.

Helping Mommy – Since Juliet was a baby, I have let Drake help me with little things like getting a diaper for me out of her room or picking up her pacifier when she dropped it. Now that Juliet is older, I often enlist Drake’s help in other ways. A good example is sometimes when I know Juliet is going to fall asleep in the car before we make it home, I ask Drake to help me keep her awake so she doesn’t ruin her nap. I will ask him to sing to her or talk to her and he happily obliges from across the car seats. He loves the idea of trying to keep her up, and she will fight sleep because she loves when he engages with her. From these small experiences, Drake has truly become a great additional set of eyes for me because he is always aware of what Juliet is doing and will alert me when something is wrong — like when she pulls off her hair barrette in the car or if she drops her bottle and can’t reach it when. It really helps to have those extra eyes I’ve found, and it means that Drake is watching and engaging with his sister. As she grows I hope he will always keep an eye out and watch over her so she is safe and protected, and she will hopefully appreciate what a wonderful caring big brother she has.

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These are all simple and little things that happen daily without much thought but I do hope that in the long run they are helping solidify a strong and loving relationship between Drake and Juliet that will grow with them as they grow. Drake always tells me Juliet is his best friend and I hope he feels like that always. As a mother nothing would make me happier than to see the two of them as close as they are now.