Brotherly love

Jack wins!

Hugo will be 4 in December and Jack is 7 months. They are crazy about each other and appear to need less parental interference in their games than we think. Last night, Hugo took the blame for something that turned out to be clearly Jack’s fault.

Jack is a good crawler now, and just starting to pull up and practice standing. This makes my husband and me worry that rough play with his brother will end in painful falls, since Jack’s balance is unsteady. Hugo is also very loud when he plays with Jack, which can be annoying around dinner time. But I need to remind myself that Hugo has been a great big brother, and goes out of his way to make sure Jack isn’t hurt when they play.

Last night, they were playing “rough,” which involves Hugo lying on the floor and allowing Jack to trounce him. We were trying to quickly bolt down our own dinner before beginning bedtime routines, and Hugo was being very loud. It looked and sounded like he was restraining Jack, making us nervous that it would end in a fall. We kept telling Hugo to stop, get off the floor, get away from Jack, etc. It was a restful meal, as usual.

Finally, my husband told Hugo he better get up and get away from Jack immediately, or he would be punished. Hugo got up, exposing one of his favorite cars where he had been lying. Jack crowed in triumph, put on a burst of speed, and pounced on the car! Hugo had only been trying to gently keep him away from his favorite toy. Hilarity ensued.

I remember plenty of times when I, as the younger sibling, got in trouble with my parents for things my brother had instigated. I guess I have to pay closer attention.