A Sudden Expansion
I still remember the first day that I went to kindergarten. I didn't like that experience. The sudden, immediate expansion of my world from the safe walled garden that I had been living in was now thrust upon me. I felt unprepared and overwhelmed.
As a parent, I have now seen this same experience thrust upon my two boys and it has been interesting seeing it through their eyes. On one hand, my oldest echoed my feelings for the experience, while his younger brother remained calm and, as he put it, "brave" in the face of a new world. It could be many things that fuel his differing perspective, but I love the idea that it is his little spirit that is in fact helping his older brother.
There will be many more dramatic world-altering expansions in their future, but I find solace in the fact that they bolster one another--where the anticipated big-brother saves little-brother characterization is not necessarily how they will define their relationship.
This world is big and at times feels insurmountable, but knowing that no matter what, these two have one another gives me a profound sense of hope, pride, and love. I cannot help but feel that my world just expanded a bit more as well.
