I didn't want to forget the details about this Brek story, and the important details were too long for facebook, so I figured I would write it on the blog. That's what it's for anyway, right?
I took Brek to the park around the corner from my parent's house, which we have been frequenting a lot since we arrived in California. Brek was excited that there another kid there to play with. She was a 3-year-old little girl. She also had a little red balance bike, similar to his. He rode his bike around for a while, up and down the hill and around the park. Eventually he invited her to ride with him.
She was a typical 3-year-old: wobbly and unbalanced, quick to get frustrated and give up, and plenty of tears when things didn't go her way.
But how Brek acted made me love him even more and just feel proud of the person he is becoming.
When she fell, Brek would stop and make sure she was ok, and help her up. There were times when he came close to crashing and falling because of where she was or what she was doing, but he handled it calmly, rode carefully, and made sure it was safe for both of them. When she cried because he was faster than her, he would slow down and suggest that they "ride together". For a kid who is always competing and racing, it was very sweet to see him compassionate towards someone else's feelings and frustrations. When she gave up because she thought it was just too hard, he came over and sat with me and talked about her bicycling skills. We talked about some of the ways he has worked to become better at bike riding, how he has learned to handle hills and riding fast, and what he does when he feels like he's losing control. After a few minutes, he told me that he was going to go teach her some of the things he has learned. Then he invited her to try again.
Over the 90 minutes that we were at the park, it was very exciting to see this little girl improve and get better at riding her bike. Brek was a great cheerleader for her as she tried hard things.
It was definitely a proud mommy moment.
Of course, there couldn't be a Brek story without some humor - no worries: During one of their bike breaks while they played on the playground, Brek started singing at the top of his lungs and busting out his very awkward dance moves. Gotta love his unrestrained charisma.
I pushed them both in the swings and after a while Brek got out of his swing and pushed her for a while. At one point he looked up at me and asked, "Is this showing that I will be a good brother?"
My heart broke a little. If there ever was a small child that had a sincere desire of their heart, it is this boy for a sibling. Sure I get a little annoyed at the frequency at which he's pushing on my tummy and asking me if I am pregnant. I wish it weren't so complicated to adopt. But it is. And we're working towards it. His adoption came about with a lot of thinking, but not a lot of planning. This time around, we're trying to do the thinking and the planning. It of course requires patience. Almost 5-year-olds are NOT patient.
But I guess if there is a sincere desire of MY heart, it's to grant the desire of HIS.
