Playing, a photo by here we wander on Flickr.
It shouldn't be a big deal. Two brothers playing.
But it is. It's HUGE.
Because one of those brothers is Sawyer. And Sawyer hardly ever wants to play with anyone else. Most of the time, he is content to play by himself. If he seeks out another, it's usually an adult, and more often than not, an adult who will give him something that he wants. And once he gets what he wants, then the adult can go away, thank you.
He simply doesn't play with others. It's not his thing.
Or it didn't use to be.
Last week, his teachers couldn't wait to tell me a story about him and a classmate on the playground. A story where Sawyer watched a little girl who had been trying to play with him walk away, where Sawyer climbed down from his seat and went after her, brought her back and sat her back down beside him.
This weekend, Sawyer joining his two brothers. Connor and Xander have long ago perfected a game of chase and tickle. Connor is usually the aggressor, and Xander is content to run and make the tickle noise as Connor attacks him. Sawyer has occasionally watched the action, but has not really joined in.
Until this weekend. When he not only watched, but jumped right in. Where he smiled and laughed. Where he looked his brother in the eyes as they played together.
It shouldn't be a big deal. But it is.
Two brothers (actually three brothers, just not all in this photo) at play.