Little heartbreak

We always knew the day would come when Luke would have questions about Will. I don’t think that Nate and I were ready for it this quickly, though.

Luke has really made remarkable strides over the past several months with his language comprehension and usage. He is now able to carry on a simple conversation with adults, wherein he asks and answers meaningful questions with only a little prompting.

He does very well with interacting with other kids in his class, too, which is a huge step. During his first year or so of day care, he played a lot by himself. He is now engaging in conversations and pretend play with other kids his age, and is actually starting to try to engage with Will.

The other day, while Matt and I were in DC for Grandpa’s retirement, Luke, Will and Nate were hanging out at home. Will was playing with a toy, and Luke approached him. He asked Will how his day was going. Will didn’t respond. Luke tried to ask a couple other questions before walking away, looking rejected.

“Daddy, Will doesn’t answer me when I talk to him.”

Nate got choked up. My heart broke a little when Nate relayed the story to me. Even now as I am writing this, my eyes well up.

Nate handled himself remarkably well. He told Luke that Will just isn’t able to talk yet, but that he really likes hearing Luke’s voice and hearing all about Luke’s day. Luke seemed to be comforted by this answer, and we’re encouraging him to continue to talk to Will. We’re also working with Will to get him used to Luke asking him questions, so that when Luke asks if Will wants a new toy, Will can click for yes. We think that this level of communication will be good for both of them.

I suppose that events like this will become more common as all the boys continue on their own paths of development. My hope is that Nate and I continue to find the answers that make sense, and continue to encourage all of our sons in their various life endeavors. I am confident that learning compassion, understanding, and perseverance at such an early age will have a remarkable effect on Luke. He’s a great big brother.