I have long dreaded this day. The day my younger son, Kope,
would realize that his brother gets a lot more attention than him. I’ve asked
myself, “What would it look like? How would he deal with it? How would I make
him feel special?” Well, today was the day my 20 month old has become fully
aware that more people “play” with his older brother than with him. It breaks
my heart to hear him cry when Nami and his therapist go into the other room to
work. He screams “up, up” and tries to climb over the barriers (gates) we’ve
placed between the rooms, but he is locked out. I try to ease the pain by
having us all play together on Nami’s breaks, but it is little consolation. Even
with special outings with his dad to the park and playtime outside with Mom, he
is still aware that Nami is somehow different…he gets more attention from more
people. How do I help him understand?
Kope, I want you to know that you are special and very
loved. You bring constant joy to my life. I love how loudly you laugh when I
chase you, tickle you and spin you around. I love how you can already speak so
much of two languages. I love how you copy me weeding, cleaning, combing my hair, brushing my
teeth, and putting on lotion. (I don’t like
it when you eat the lotion, though. =) You are so smart! You seem to be able to
figure everything out and continually find ways to get done what you want, such
as using a stick to turn on the light switch or finding any furniture, bag or
toy that you can climb on and get high enough to get on top of the piano or in
the TV cabinet (both things I also do not like. =) I love how you put your shoes and socks on when it's time to go. I love how you give the BEST
hugs in the world…so tight and then you pat my shoulders while you bury your
head under mine. You are my little buddy and I love you!