Of Barbie, building blocks and brothers…
How a plastic fashion doll became a symbol of sibling love…
Something strange seems to happen to the concept of time during the school summer holidays. It seems to stretch. The usual waking day, when spent in the company of young children to feed, play with, feed again, entertain, calm down and get into bed (and repeat!) somehow feels like a hundred days rolled into one. As the saying goes, when you have young kids, the days are long, and the years are short… But through the sheer relentlessness of it all, one thing has sustained me, and that is simply being able to watch my sons. I love that when they are finally asleep, I can watch their long dark eyelashes fluttering in their sleep, stroke their soft cheeks whilst their sweet faces are at rest, their breathing even and calm. The waves of peace I feel in those moments are so restorative for me as a mother.
Now and then, I stand back and watch their brotherhood in action as they play together, and I marvel at their childhood alliance and brotherly love. They are constantly growing and changing. Once, they used to have their own toys. My four-year-old, Sai-Lo, seems to have bypassed a whole toy level. All he wants to do is play with his six-year-old brother Gor-Gor, and with his toys! Why do younger siblings always grow up quicker than their older siblings? Is it because subconsciously they want to stay on the emotional radar of the older sibling? A kind of “Hey, look at me, I can engage on your level even though I’m not as old as you!” strategy? But it cuts both ways. Sometimes it’s the older sibling who needs to pack away their maturity and appear younger for their sibling’s sake, and I have experienced that form of sibling love firsthand.
When I was a child, my parents worked during the school holidays, and it was left to my Gor-Gor to take care of me. With limited things to do at home, we often headed to the community center. Gor-Gor loved playing football with his friends there, but he always tried to involve me. My career as a goalkeeper was short-lived as I soon developed a terror of a big, hard ball zooming like a rocket towards my face! Luckily for me, my savior came in the unlikely shape of… a Barbie doll! My selfless, patient brother left his football behind and immersed himself in my world of playing and make-believe with me, Barbie and her doll friends. As I reminisce, the innocence of those moments brings a lump to my throat. My heart feels warm, remembering Gor-Gor – who is five years older than me! - picking up Barbie and whirling her around, making me laugh delightedly. Those moments were building blocks for a lifetime of sibling love. What wouldn’t I give to go back in time to play Barbie again with him?
So I watch my sons play together, with their dinosaurs, their cars, and all those tiny figures that kids their age seem to adore, and I think of their building blocks of brotherly love. They’re laying foundations just like I did with their uncle. The days sure are long (especially in the holidays!) but the years are truly short. And those foundations are more important than they could ever know…
Can you capture your favorite childhood memory, in one line, or perhaps even one word? Please feel free to share in the comments section!
