When I was pregnant with my second child a friend at the park told me something precious I’ll always cherish. She told me I was giving Medha the best gift I could possibly give – the gift of a sibling. In my kids’ interactions I see how right she was.

When Medha gets back home from pre-school there is none happier than Madhav, my 5 month old. His eyes travel wherever she goes and they are so full of adoration. He smiles and giggles looking at her even though she is just relating the day’s events to me.

Medha is affectionate in her own way. She watches over her baby brother when I need to finish a couple of chores. If papa is fooling around with the baby she asks him to be careful! Every morning she lies beside him and they have a quiet time together. She never tires of telling me how cute and tiny he is.

I am not naive enough to expect their relationship to be this rosy forever. Like other siblings they will soon fight for our attention, over toys and other possessions. They will start pulling each other’s hair or pinching one another until I intervene and yell at both of them and banish them to their rooms… Okay, that was a bit too much but you get the message.

My sister and I have had our share of ups and downs. There were times when I just hated her, like the time when I was about 6 and couldn’t stand her repeating every word I said. And there were times when she gave me the silent treatment- no words shared between us. But they were rare. She is more than just a sister to me; She is my first and my best friend; She is a gift. I hope someday in the future Medha thinks of her brother the same way.