We- Are- Fam-i-ly

Yesterday my son turned 13!  Another teenager.  Pray for us!  After we sang, my husband called him into the laundry room and unveiled his birthday present...a brand spanking new bike!   The very first words from the younger siblings, "I get his old bike! "   "No, I do!  I called it first!"  Come on!  I was disappointed that the first thought was of themselves...until one of the older boys brings in a present wrapped in a plastic Giant grocery bag..a pair of used wrestling shoes he bought from one of his friends.  Better than gold.  He paid $20 of his own money for this present...a fortune in a nonworking 15 year old world.  That got me thinking about our whole family.  The boys are pretty much in a constant state of battle with each other...criticising everything from their batting stance to their clothes,walking by and hitting each other in the head for no reason, setting the alarm 10 minutes earlier so they can get the sports page first...I mean really? Can't they just be nice to each other?  But, they are nice to each other...when it counts the most, and it is for real.   Those wrestling shoes highlight this fact...and so do many other actions . For instance, we had a great month in this house!  My daughter got into grad school, my other daughter got the sought after job, my other daughter got an externship over Christmas, my son was specifically asked to apply for a  prestigious winter break externship in Washington (his dream), everyone got straight A's,  Hey!  That is a great month for any family!   And to observe how happy the kids are for each other is really the meat of their relationships ... truly, genuinely, happy...not jealous, not begrudging, not anything bad...just proud and happy for their siblings....rooting for each other to succeed.  This  is the stuff that warms a parents heart!  As mean as they could be to each other, it seems that they are the only ones allowed to be mean to each other.  If someone threatens a brother or a sister, they have 7 other siblings to the rescue, to defend.  They have repeatedly demonstrated they stand by each other and support each other..except in the house...then it's a  whole different story...but I guess that's ok....because we are family.