The bond siblings share

A single glance at Laney and Oliver while they are together is all it takes to know they share a special bond. They obviously love each other, but I've begun to wonder just why they do.

Take Oliver; there is no logical reason why he should love his sister. She is constantly bossing him, yelling at him for the slightest transgression and, just about the time he is having fun with something, she comes to take it away - usually knocking him over in the process.

Yet, he loves her. It's there in the way he lights up every time he sees her.

She has even less reason to love him. Laney's world was perfect until the squalling interloper arrived to commandeer most of Mom's time. Even worse, he slobbers on her favorite toys and dumps her water on the floor.

Regardless, she feeds him fruit snacks on the sly, brings him toys and will stop what she's doing just to put her arm around him and plant a kiss on the side of his head.

Watching the two of them got me thinking about how I felt about my brother and sister when we were young. I have memories of Jimmy and Casey as babies, different moments which stand out for different reasons, but the common thread tying them together is a feeling of possessiveness. They were my babies.

Twenty some odd years later, I still feel that way. They might be grown up and live further away, but they are still mine.

Maybe that is why Laney and Oliver share such a strong bond. Each belongs to the other.

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