Last night, I stood in our tiny kitchen and sliced pizza. All nine of the kids were in the kitchen, ready to pounce. Obviously, it wasn’t the first time I’ve been in a room with all nine kids, but something struck me about the moment. Remember this. The feeling must have been contagious. Beatrix jumped into Aidan’s arms and clung to her like a baby orangutan. The two of them giggled. I said it wouldn’t be long before Beatrix launching herself onto Aidan would be a thing of the past. I was purely thinking about Beatrix being too big. If anything, it would be comical, not impossible.
But Aidan had other ideas.
I took a few pictures of my girls. She put Beatrix down and sighed. “Ollie isn’t going to remember me.”
I asked what she meant.
“In less than two years, I’ll be away at college. He won’t grow up with me in the house. I’ll just be someone who visits! He’s going to be like, Who is Aidan?” I assured her that wouldn’t be true. Of course, he would know her and love her. But yeah.
He is going to grow up with a very different relationship with Aidan than Ryley. He was born when Aidan was 18 months old. They’ve been together since baby days.
Oddly, the thought of Aidan becoming an occasional visitor to Ollie never occurred to me. He will probably be closer in age to her children than to her. But, they’ll have their own unique bond forged out of absence, joyful hugs, absence, correspondence, absence. They will never fight over who got the bigger cookie or fiercely debate who gets to be Player 1.
The first time Aidan and Ollie hung out together, October 2012
Awe,bittersweet musings.
I teared up when I read the words “remember this”. What a precious moment. And your sweet girls!!
My youngest sister was born when I was 16. I wasn’t in the house for her preschool years but we have a very special relationship now. Ollie may not remember living with Aidan but they will still have fun memories together.
Beautiful!!!!!
They will share a bond that will be hard to come by in our society. Once common, it will now be less so. But on the other hand, there are lots of families that are “non-traditional” now. My husband’s mom was the oldest in her family of seven kids. We are very close to her youngest sister, who is just five years older than my husband. Her husband is a couple of years her junior, so though they are our “aunt and uncle” they are really our great close friends. Ollie will know the amazing love that is your family and Aidan is part of that amazing love. I hope that they grow to have a very special relationship.