Since MM had the day off from school for MLK Day, he got to join BB and I for our morning walk at the mall and a bit of fun at the mall play area after we got in some exercise.

Now that he’s a school aged kid, I don’t typically bring him to the play area anymore as he’s really too big to play there now, but when we finished our walk the play area was still basically deserted so I told him that as long as he behaved and listened that I’d let him play while it was still slow. i.e. No daredevil stunts or we’re leaving.

Well, anyway, since there weren’t any other kids around, MM and BB had no choice but to play with each other. Sometimes playing together at this age just means the push and shove and cry and “No, I don’t want to share that!” routine and constant pleas for me to intervene and give them their way. Other times it means mostly ignoring each other while they do their own thing.

But for five or ten blissful minutes my children actually played together in earnest. He chased her around the play area, she giggled with delight. Then at some point the tables turned and she chased him, he laughed even harder. He dived into the giant lightbulb play structure to “hide” and she gamely followed him and leaned inside, shrieking “Tickle, tickle!” as she attempted to attack him which of course he found delightful.

And in that moment, all I could think was, “It was all worth it.” The past five, almost six years of poor to no sleep, poopy diapers, picky eaters, toddler tantrums and NO THAT’S MINE were totally worth it to witness those 5 minutes where they were absolute best friends.

Totally worth it.