One of the neatest things about having a large family is witnessing the different dynamics and connections develop between members. I grew up in a family with sisters who were five years older than me, and always buddied up together. When I was still playing pretend and rocking baby dolls, they were hanging out with friends at the mall.
In our family, the kids are all about two years apart?with the exception of the twins, of course, who are only three minutes apart, although born on different days! And even though we had them all back to back (I?m still so tired), our oldest is still more than six years older than the youngest, who are still only four years old. So, there?s definitely still a gap.
When Steve and I sit back and observe as the kids play, we?ve noticed that they tend to team up with those closest in age; that?s just the way it goes. Years from now, when they?re adults and the age gap becomes irrelevant, their relationships will change, with common interests and compatibility all playing a role in the bonds the siblings share.
After school one day, I put the kids into teams to help the twins put their new sets together (Levi, age eleven, with Cove; nine-year-old Dion and six-year-old Harlan with Meadow).
It was so neat to watch them work through the challenge of collaborating as a team to achieve a goal. One of the older kids would read the instructions, while another would find the missing building block in the pile, handing it off to the builder. The LEGO Du...