Seeing people in a new light because of your kids

My BIL is okay-not great, but I've always just put up with him and griped to DH about him.

I always thought he was immature, selfish, but not a terrible person.

He's made a few comments over the years where I've wanted to punch him in the throat, but those have been few and far between but boy were they doozies.

However-this Thanksgiving I realized I had him all wrong all these years.

All the in laws came to us for the week of Thanksgiving.

DD is 3 and DS is 1. While MIL and I were cooking, prepping the whole week, BIL played non stop hide-and-seek with DD, watched Frosty 5000 times, took her for walks and even stopped DS from rolling in the coffee table in the family room.

I was amazed. I didn't think he was interested much in our kids but apparently he is just not so great with babies because Uncle Chuck is super with pre schoolers

It's funny, I warmed up to him so much this week because of how great he was with the kids, especially Claire. His attention to the kids really endeared him to me in a way I never thought would happen.

The magic of kids!

Re: Seeing people in a new light because of your kids

Absolutely! When it was just DH and I... we never saw anyone... I mean, once in awhile my one sister would stop over...but that was it for family. We were in touch with everyone, on both sides of the family, we just didn't end up seeing everyone too often... life always just seemed to get in the way so to speak. Now, with DS, family is always coming in and out! I love it! It's not to the annoying part... they don't just stop over, but we always make plans to see family. DS brought two famiiies together and made them super close just by being born.

More specifically, my one friend was never around children... he was always nervous around them and such. When DS was born, he was ready and willing to hold him. They would fall asleep together in the nursery, he would feed him and change him. It was the sweestest thing. Now, DS being 9 months, as soon as he comes over he goes straight to him and wants to play. He'll get down on the floor and play with little baby toys to make him laugh. It's a whole different side of him I never thought was possible.