When we moved into our home about a year and a half ago, we knew the two brothers next door were older than Caleb and Luke by six years. You tend to think it would be ideal if your kids had next door neighbor friends close in age to grow up with, but now I wouldn't trade Will and Sam for any 2 and 4 year olds! To my surprise they have been one of the greatest blessings of moving into this house. They are kind, patient, polite, and genuinely love playing with Caleb and Luke. I don't quite understand but am thankful because it makes my boys feel so special.Just today, Will came knocking on our door asking if Caleb and Luke could come out to play! I'm reading Boys Should Be Boys by Dr. Meg Meeker and something she wrote made me think about our neighbor friends. She writes, "...what young boys need - and what they can get when they play on their own in the neighborhood - is a mixture of older boys and younger boys." I never thought much about it, but my boys are seeing older "peers" model kindness, leadership, initiative, respect, and a bunch of other great character qualities. I hope as they grow, they show the same kindness to small children that has been shown to them!
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