You Got A Friend in Me

This past week I watched my niece and nephew for a couple days. Their parents were both out of town on business so I got to slide in and be 24/7 Auntie for a while. It went really good. I was super tired at the end of each day, but I dont have any complaints.

While the kids were here, I was really happy to see Finn and Eli getting along well. I noticed it right away and it warmed my heart to see them laughing and interacting like friends. They have an interesting relationship. Finn and Eli are four years apart. They are first cousins, but Finn has a hard time being a good "older cousin" to Eli. I think its routed in insecurity. Eli is "my boy." I have a special, fun relationship with him and I believe Finn feels left out of our closeness. He doesnt like it. Case in point, many times while Eli was here he would say unexpectedly "I love you Auntie." He's a sweet boy and would say this often for no apparent reason. Every single time Finn heard Eli say "I love you Auntie" he would retort "I love her more. She's my mother so I love her more." Sometimes he would say this under his breath, but most of the time he would say it directly to Eli as a means of sort of marking his turf. And he wasnt really snotty or mean about it. However, it was obvious that Finn felt insecure about what Eli was saying. Ive seen this dynamic a lot between them. Eli replaced Finn as the youngest boy in our family and I think Finn feels threatened by him.

But during this stay, they got along beautifully. They played together a lot: drawing chalk drawings on the pavement. Collecting grass for Eli's caterpillar, Calli. They laughed and interacted with each other more than Ive ever seen them do. Seamus was gone the first day the kids arrived and I think that had a lot to do with it. Often Finn will side with Seamus when Eli is around. But Seamus wasnt here and that left just Eli and Finn. Allies. Cousins. Friends.

For many months I have prayed everyday for Finn to make one true friend. As I watched them play this week, I wondered more than a few times if that one true friend could be Eli.