Growing Up with Brothers

I'm learning about and recognizing how growing up with brothers has shaped me as a person and in my relationships toward my guy friends:

• I'm used to seeing guys in comfy and casual dress attire, usually including a t-shirt versus a button-down. Even though that's pretty common, whenever I see a guy friend in a t-shirt, I still can't help but make a quick smile as I think about it.
• I had to eat quickly and get my share of meals before the boys ate all the food! Most of the time, labeling leftovers worked, but then again, other times you just never knew. In this way, I'm usually able to keep up at the dinner table whenever the guys are around, or if I'm eating with girlfriends, I usually get my share of the meal.
• A punch in the arm, or other form of torture, just means that I love you.

These are the general lessons of/with brothers, and I deeply love both of mine, but something very cute happened at church this morning that I also want to mention from the other side of the life. 

I was able to see the girls I babysat during the summer as they were visiting their grandparents' church. The youngest came up to me during the after-church luncheon, and told me how she dropped her fork on the ground and needed a new one so could I walk with her to get a new fork because she didn't want to go by herself. :) I willing obliged, and secretly loved that she felt like she needed and wanted my presence, security and help for something as simple as getting a plastic fork. She took my hand as we walked five steps from my seat to the table with the plasticware. We carefully selected a new fork and walked back to her seat. I then asked her where her old fork was. Lo, and behold, it was still on the ground where it fell, so I picked it up and asked if she could throw it away in the trash can. 

Upon her return I wanted to provide some positive reinforcement (which is a topic that comes up in my psychology class often) for cleaning up after her mess, so thought it would be really cool to hold out my hand so she could give me a high-five. I feel like my parents introduced me to high-fives as a form of positive reinforcement at an early age even as a girl, and then they also did so with my brothers. Also, assuming that holding out your hand for high-fives is a fairly common gesture I didn't precede the motion with any cool saying in megaphone voice, like "HIGH-FIVE!" When the little girl finally came back proud of her accomplishment and then seeing my hand, instead of forcefully joining our hands together to make a fun clapping sound, she softly just put her hand into mine. Then I had a quick moment of realization: she is growing up with sisters, and holding hands to do things is much more common than a "Gimme five" hand slap, like I did with brothers. At that moment, my heart softened a bit and I smiled and held her hand as I helped her back into her seat. I am so grateful for that God made girls and gives us sisters, and simple joys they bring to life through companionship.