BFF*

Ainsley and I stood in the hallway of Ian's school, waiting for him to gather his things and meet us by the front office. They were to see Ian's new psychiatrist together this time. One of his teachers and I chatted quietly about some new strategies for helping him understand right behaviors from wrong ones, while Ainsley eagerly watched for her brother.

Ian rounded the second grade hall corner and saw us. In her booming 5 year-old voice, Ainsley shouted, "IAN!" and stretched her arms out wide. Ian did the same as he began to jog down the corridor toward her.

I elbowed the teacher and whispered, "Watch this."

The two ran toward each other into an embrace. Ian bent slightly and picked Ainsley up, holding tightly onto her rear end. The adults tried to stifle our giggles. "I missed you Ian," Ainsley said genuinely.

"I missed you to," Ian replied.

Another teacher who was passing by said, "Oh, that's so sweet! Are they always like this?"

"About 90% of the time they are best friends. The other times they are fighting like cats and dogs," I explained.

"It's so nice to see siblings getting along so well," she added.

"Yes," I sighed, "it is."

We left the school building and began the short walk to my van. Ian and Ainsley continued their little sibling love-fest. Ainsley admitted that she had broken a plastic star their cousins gave him for Easter, but promised she would fix it when we returned home. Ian was grateful for her offer and said, "Mom, because Ainsley is going to fix my star that she accidentally broke, I am going to make her my wife!"

"Uh ... Ian, that's a very generous offer, but she is already your sister. She can't be both your wife and your sister. Since she was your sister first, we'll have to leave it at that. You can be best friends though."

"O.K.," he replied, as if I'd just told him we were having hot dogs for dinner instead of chicken nuggets - pleased, but not overwhelmed with joy.

Then, they settled into their car seats, strapped on their seat belts, and Ian began reading a book out loud to his very best friend in the whole world.

* In kidspeak, this means Best Friends Forever.