I got hit with some kind of horrific stomach bug that surely spawned from the fall of man. I will spare you the details, most graciously. But let’s just say that our family’s tradition is to have pork and sauerkraut on New Year’s, and I have since been ruined on sauerkraut for the foreseeable future. 
Sometimes the boys go to a day camp that meets when school isn’t in session, which was especially helpful yesterday during the sauerkraut incident. Yesterday's day camp itinerary was a field trip to a bowling alley. In the morning, Tyler was worrying about the bus ride.
“Please, Tuck. Please sit with me on the bus.”
“No.”
“But I don’t want to sit by myself.”
“But when you sit with me, you embarrass me.”
“What if I promise not to embarrass you? Please, can I sit with you?”
Tuck was immovable, and Tyler was very teary.
I stepped into the dialogue. “Tuck, one of your most important jobs as a brother is to make sure your brother is never lonely. It’s what brothers have to do. So you can sit wherever you want on the bus, but please make sure Tyler has a friend. Don’t let him be lonely.”
He shrugged begrudgingly. Oh, the things he must put up with as the firstborn.
When they got home, I said, “Tyler, how was the bus ride?”
“So good! Tuck let me sit with him!”
“Tuck! You did? What a great choice. A great choice that makes my heart very happy.”
And then Tyler said, “We had so much fun! It went so very, very well, actually, that we’re never allowed to sit together on the bus again."
Well, awesome.
Loved this post! My oldest has twin younger brothers and there is so much responsibility in that. Sometimes I think I'm asking too much of his nearly 6 year old self, but other times, I see it as being so good for him to understand the responsibility of being the oldest of three brothers. Great to read your post and totally understand!
Yesssssss attaboys. Being brothers like brothers are supposed to be 🙂
Your son made me laugh out loud!