A few weeks ago I posted a picture of the kids on Instagram with a quiet plea that they are always as close of friends as they are now. 90% of the time, they are two peas in a pod. I don’t know if that’s due to their personalities or the fact that we don’t live in a neighborhood so they are each others only option, but they really are great friends.  The other 10% of the time, they are feral animals who can’t be in the same room as each other, but that’s normal right?

When the Hubs and I thought about having a 3rd child – something we debated for a long time – the driving factor for me is that I wanted one of my kids to have a same-gender sibling. In my mind, the Bean having a sister or Scorch having a brother meant they would always have a best friend for life. I know it’s not that simple, but in my head, that’s the way it works. But neither one of us was ever on the 3rd child train at the same time and then time passed and we realized, quite frankly, that we had no desire to add a newborn/toddler back to a relatively peaceful life with big kids. So, these two are it.

And these two are getting so big so damn fast. So. Damn. Fast. One is turning 10 soon and one is turning 8. I read other mommy blogs and I realize that I can’t relate anymore. I don’t really  have picky eaters. I sleep most nights. My boobs have been my own for the past 6 years. I haven’t changed a diaper except by choice in over 5.5 years. There are still issues- and some of them are biggies as the kids get older- but no one really talks about this stage/age.

Regardless of how old they get, my overwhelming urge to cement  the friendship between these two hasn’t. But no matter what I want, small changes are happening- a week ago the Bean decided that she wasn’t sleeping in Scorch’s room anymore. Girlfriend had been sleeping on his floor for 2 years every single night without fail. And then- BOOM- not any more. Which is fine- I mean, who wouldn’t rather sleep in a bed? But it still makes me sad.

Then this morning I found them both curled up on the Bean’s bed with their books and a cat a piece. I have to have faith that as they get older, they’ll figure out their relationship. It won’t always be as simple as it is now, but I have faith in them. So here’s to siblings that only have each other. Here’s to siblings that are soon going to have start figuring out stupid boy /girl stuff with each other and their friends. And here’s to parents praying they navigate the tween/teen years with enough finesse to keep their kid’s friendship growing.