Sophie The Ate

    What is amusing nowadays is how Sophie and Sam have really bonded as siblings. Everyday especially in the mornings, Sophie would ask Sam: ‘Sam, love mo ba ako? (Sam, do you love me?) and Sam would immediately reply: ‘Opo’ (yes). Sophie will then, ask Sam to kiss or hug her which Sam will oblige to. This is always a wonderful scene to witness especially for parents.
   Whenever we bring just Sophie to the grocery, she would sometimes explain to Sam that she will just be gone for a while and will be back soon. When we are in the grocery, she will eventually ask to go home because she misses Sam. ‘Mommy, baka hinahanap na ko ni Sam’ (Mommy, Sam might be looking for me). She is such an Ate now. She defends her brother from bigger boys and even adults who (she thinks) bullies or picks on her brother. Knowing that your kids adore and love each other brings about a nice feeling. At some point you feel that you did something right as a parent. As working parents, there is also a feeling of assurance that the people you hired to watch over your kids are doing well as guardians.
   Of course, kids will always be kids and there are times when they want the same toy at the same time. This is something that we,as parents, should handle in a fair and calm way. The solution: if nobody wants to concede then nobody gets the toy. Unless they learn to compromise and agree on sharing, nobody enjoys the toy. It always works, realizing that it’s a lose lose situation for them, one of them (either the ate or the little boy) will give way eventually.
   I wish and pray that they continue the same bond even when they become adults. It is always reassuring to know that they will watch each other's back.