Brother's Day

Brother's Day Lyle Lovett Brother's Day

Nice people are nice.

Every day is Brother's Day around our house, of course. Our two sons are very far apart in age, so the fact that they can do something together, every day, in earnest, is a blessing. I remember desperately trying to grow up in time to hang around with my much older brother, and seeing him disappear over the maturity horizon over and over. Heartbreaking, it was. The kids in the video have great fun knocking around together, and I bet they will when they're men, too.

I worry what will happen to our younger son if The Heir lights out for adult life anytime soon. We live in western Maine, and it's a cross between a nursing home and a mausoleum around here. There are, essentially, no small children. Most of the children that are here are borderline feral. The brothers need each other more than I wish they did. My older son has lots of nice friends because he can cast a wider net than the little feller, but the Spare Heir is lonesome sometimes. Without his brother -- egad.

I used to make a joke when our first son was born: I was dissatisfied with the quality of humans available on this planet, so I made my own. It doesn't seem like much of a joke to me anymore. I encourage everyone to make your own humans. Making a human involves much, much more than fifteen minutes in the back seat of a car. You've got to raise 'em up. Like the charming kids in the video, they'll help you raise themselves properly, if you'll just let them. Micromanagement won't produce a viable adult. Don't forget to sprinkle some Laissez faire in there, dudes and dudettes.

A year ago and more, my older son was disappointed for the umpteenth time when the other children his own age failed to show up to play music. He tried over and over again to find anyone that he could do it with. No dice. I suggested he try his little brother. I told him his brother would never let him down like that. You can trust your brother. Make sure he can trust you, too, and you'll never falter.

On the odd, occasional day, spaced out quite a bit, I'll grant you, and interspersed with plenty of bad dadding, I'm a half-decent father to those children:


(Thanks to reader and commenter Leon for sending Brother's Day along)

[Update: Our friend Gerard at American Digest mashed the boys' musical education PayPal button to remind us of how swell he his. That's because he is. Many Thanks!]
[Update, More so: Many thanks to Charles F. from Florida for his contribution to the kids' music fund]

Posted by Hodie J