Boys will be boys...

I never had a brother. Just one older sister. She's going to be 50 this year--her sixth decade. Man, that's old! (If you think I'm being unduly harsh, just know that my much beloved sister deserves every word--take that Susan!)

Anyway, back to the brother I never had. I remember when I was in the 6th grade thinking that a baby brother would be oh so fun. I mentioned this to my mother and after she wiped the look of horror off of her face, she calmly informed me that a baby would not be forthcoming because daddy had gotten a vasectomy. My mom is a nurse, so she always explained everything in a clinical and dispassionate way. Never a euphemism for her--nothing like, "Daddy pulled a muscle at work which is why he's spending the weekend snuggled up to a bag of frozen peas!"

This lack of a brother explains why boys are still somewhat a mystery to me and why Kirk causes consternation and mirth at the same time. Friday was a baseball practice night and we got ready to leave only to discover that the little man lost his baseball glove. The problem is the boy can be standing on top of something and not see it. He can find the one package of poptarts that I've hidden deep in the recesses of the pantry, but his coat or backpack that is sitting in the middle of the floor? Heck no!

We searched high and low when it occurred to me that I last saw him with it in the backyard. Not the vast backyard of the old house, no the current backyard which closely resembles a postage stamp. It was sitting in the dry creek bed (i.e. drainage ditch with fancy schmancy rocks in it...) right out in the open where the passengers on an airplane could see it with their own eyes. Kirk had to be sent out twice to find it.

This, and a weeks worth of offenses, resulted in him being grounded all weekend except for the Saturday game and pictures on Sunday. I was certain it was going to be a miserable weekend for Greg and me with all the neighbor kids knocking and asking if Kirk could play. Kirk would be miserable and mope around the house and this would be the longest weekend I've ever endured.

However, boys surprise you now and then. Kirk took his punishment fairly well, only pouted a little, and paid a lot of attention to his sister. They get along really well anyway, but this weekend they have played hockey and read books and kicked the ball and generally had a great time together. Suzanne slept until 8 a.m. this morning--8 a.m. folks. This almost never happens. She is a 6:30 a.m. girl and always has been. For her to sleep in, she must have been totally tuckered out last night. Probably because she spent most of the day playing with her big brother.

It makes me happy to know that Kirk will be around to look after his sister after Greg and I are pushing up daisies (unlike my mother, I am a great fan of the euphemism!). I think that the love that Kirk has for Suzanne runs pretty deep and will withstand even puberty and the teen years. He might be one of those grubby, rock throwing, stinky-footed little boys, but he has a great love for his family and Suzanne in particular. He is a caretaker by nature, much like his father. As I have often said, he is the perfect big brother for Suzanne.

I'm so glad that we decided to have another baby and that we ended up with Suzanne. I'd hate to think that Kirk's big brother talents might have been wasted...