Lauren’s Law: National Siblings Day, Then And Now

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Siblings. They’re our built-in best friends from birth. So noteworthy that there’s even a celebration on April 10 to honor the special bond between brothers and sisters: National Siblings Day.

This time of year, I like to reflect on my blessing of an older brother, Joe, and older sister, Kristen. Something that’s making it even more impactful this year is how my husband, Scott, (who is also the youngest of three siblings) and I recently welcomed our third child and daughter, Nora.

I’ve seen fun parallels with my siblings and own children. For starters, Kristen used to wake up early before school or drop anything to French braid my hair when I was a kid. It’s heartwarming to see her also braiding the hair of my two oldest daughters, Charlotte and Riley, while lending an extra hand as I navigate life with three kids under 5 years of age.

Joe embraced the big brother role from my early days. At age 5, he’d give me a bottle while my mom made dinner for her own young family. She’d yell from the kitchen to remind him to burp me.

A helper like my brother, my oldest, Charlotte, is always quick to offer a hand if her baby sister kicks off her sock or needs some white noise or playful entertainment. I have a feeling she’ll graduate to helping to give her baby sister a bottle soon too.

Charlotte’s love of her baby sister has been greater than I could have imagined. Every time Nora enters the same room as her, Charlotte is quick to ask, “Can I give Nora a kiss? Can I say hi? Can I nuzzle her?” What’s more amazing is how Nora never seems bothered by a bouncing toddler in her face. A close sibling relationship is well on its way.

Riley’s response to Nora coming home reminds me of my sister’s reaction when I came home. Kristen made her grand entrance while strutting in gold high heels. Needless to say, both girls were less than impressed at their new baby sisters, at least initially.

Riley’s response to Nora in the early days of her arrival: “How much longer is she going to live with us?”

Similar to Buddy’s response in the classic Christmas film, “Elf,” I quickly replied: “I haven’t thought about it, but I was thinking forever.”

With this latest chapter of craziness, I’m most grateful to my own siblings being there for me, whether it’s making dinner for my family, babysitting or even just checking in to see how I’m doing. I look forward to watching my three girls be there for each other in the years to come.

Lauren Burke Meyer is a Severna Park native who was inspired to write Lauren’s Law as a humorous play on the well-known Murphy’s Law adage: “anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.”

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