A couple of weeks ago now, Jaxon had his first opportunity to hold his baby sister. Below, a video marks that event. Jaxon has been very protective of Ruby or at least the idea of Ruby. A 3-year-old is naturally unpredictable so it’s weird for me to take a step back: relax, relate, release and trust the process of making a loving sibling – or an NBA team for that matter.
As I know nothing about siblings and think that all sibling despise or barely tolerate each other, Lara had the lead on this. She is much more lenient and forgiving. There certainly are some guides on how to introduce a toddler to a baby. I get it – but I also fear that we are exposing a cute little toddler fox to a baby hen in our house.
My apprehension not withstanding, we wanted to give Jaxon some agency – he needs to feel like he has some role in the welfare of Ruby, even if that means he makes a mistake. That’s harder than is sounds. I love Jaxon. We are raising a generally kind and emotionally present kid who respects others but acknowledges his own wants or needs. So as Lara put it – paraphrasing – we have to give a good wine room to breathe. I have to trust him to make good decisions: well, as much has one can trust a 3-year-old.