Best Buddies

My kids are 7 and 9 and they each have an amazing best friend. They are social kids and have a lot of friends at school but they also have that one, amazing go-to person that they would spend every waking minute with if they could.

My son is small and wily and his best buddy is a full head taller and more precise in his movements. He and my son complement one another. They enjoy much of the same things and are both very grounded. They are in that transition phase from child to I-am-young-but-not-a-child. Neither one makes fun of the other for having Nemo sheets on the bed or a nightlight. They accept one another and have each other's back. 

My son encouraged his buddy to join the triathlon team with him and his buddy is surprising himself by running and even enjoying it! They talk about everything from Legos to Disneyland to God in Heaven. I enjoy listening to them talk about crazy things and crazy plans they have. My hope is that they will always be best buddies.

My daughter is also blessed with an amazing best friend. Her bestie told me that my daughter is the candy-coating to her M&M's! They are seven! The girls are not as mellow as the boys. They squeal and giggle. They have little toy squirrels that they tend to and coo over. They often put their heads together and whisper light-hearted secrets. They are in sync like no other children I have met. They link arms and dance around and they accept new friends to their group. They have a seemingly easy friendship but I believe it is iron-clad. Theirs will be a friendship that withstands the years.

In looking back at my childhood I remember one friend that lived next-door to my grandmother. We were locked at the hip from about six to 16. She ended up getting pregnant in high school and moving to Texas with her new baby and new husband. I lost touch with her as she began her new life.

I missed out on those rock solid friendships built in childhood but God instead blessed me with the most amazing friends later in life. My girlfriends now are as close as family if not closer. They have my back and my heart. They are the kind of friends that will show up with shovels - no questions asked. They accept my dorkiness and are there will the rope seems to be rapidly fraying. I can't imagine a world without my friends and I am so thankful my kids are already off to a good start.