It dawns on me. My kids like each other.

Not just as brothers, but as friends. They are proud of each others accomplishments. They brag about one another. I know that may sound ordinary to some of you, but for me, that is just remarkable. My sisters and I weren’t really like that growing up. And I will admit, it was ALLLLL because of me.

I was quite a contrary little bitch. I didn’t like anyone. I loved playing things like “slap and run” (in which I’d slap the shit out of one of my sisters and run away). I picked on them. Called them names. Sometimes even cruelly so. I was mean. Mean as shit.

And so, of course, that was what a normal sibling relationship was to me. And that is fully what I expected from my boys.

But it ain’t what I got.

What I got was a younger brother who spent an afternoon tacking up fliers all over town for Jake’s show at the Rock Shop on the 26th. Handing out band stickers to his friends. And generally bragging about his big brother being a rock star.

What I got was Jake marveling over Andrew’s “silent but brilliant” mentality. See, they are very different in many ways. And while Jake is loud and boisterous (dare I say, obnoxious?) and extroverted, Andrew is relatively quiet. Don’t get me wrong, he has a very active social life. He has his big brother’s leader-of-the-pack mentality. He is not shy. He is not introverted. Not even close. BUT. He saves his words. And when he speaks, EVERYONE listens. Because usually what comes out of his mouth is quite extraordinary. If nothing else, it’s just plain hilarious.

What I got was Jake encouraging Andrew’s love of skateboarding, complimenting him on how insanely talented he is. Not only at skateboarding, but also this little knack Andrew has for fixing various electronic gadgets. Things like cracked iPhone and iPod screens. He even charges for it. His friends, his friends parents. Oh yeah. That little turd has an under-the-table side business going on. And I have NO IDEA how he learned that shit.

What I got was two brothers who help each other. Talk to each other. Have totally natural conversations. And even though they have two separate groups of friends, they even hang out with each other. They are both going to a concert together at the end of the month. By themselves. That is something I would have died a million times before I did with my sisters. Like, WHAT?? You mean I have to take that little punk to Lollapalooza with me?! That is BULLSHIT!!

But my boys are doing it. And it doesn’t even occur to them that they are going as brothers. They’re just going because they wanna go. They like hanging out with each other. Because they are friends.