A patient older brother who rose early to comfort his little sister with Down syndrome, allowing their mom to sleep in, was caught via the sleep monitor whispering and cuddling with her. The touching footage has warmed their mother’s heart.
It was the day after Mother’s Day when a mom of three Tara McCallan, of Canada, had an experience that made her “heart absolutely burst as a mom.” Her 8-year-old daughter Reid, nicknamed Pip, was eager to begin the day. Big brother Noal, 9, mindful of his mom’s need for a little more time under the covers, stepped in.
Sensing that her daughter was about to start her dawn routine, Tara prepared herself. It was then that she saw her oldest son enter Pip’s bedroom.
Tara hung back and was touched to witness what unfolded next.
Watching the sleep monitor screen, Tara saw Noal take Pip’s hand and advise, “Let’s let Mom sleep,” before clambering into the single bed beside her. He cuddled and whispered to his restless sister until it was time to get up.
“Two things unfolded in that moment for me,” said Tara. “First of course, that my son was sweet enough to think of me and did that. But, even more importantly, that I got a small glimpse into how he would care for her when no one was looking.”
Hours later, she said, Noal would drop-kick his sister while wrestling in the backyard. This glimpse into his capacity for tenderness gave Tara comfort.
“As a parent of a child with special needs, it’s beyond scary to think what would happen to your child if you or your partner weren’t around,” Tara reflected. “But, seeing my boys in moments they don’t know I’m watching, care for her ... Does me right in.”
Noal’s kind act was by no means the first example of Tara’s boys caring for their sister. In an interview with The Epoch Times in May, Tara explained that both Noal and his 5-year-old brother Theo have often come forward to help Pip in times of need.
Back on March 16, Pip, who has Type 1 diabetes, had a malfunction on her insulin pump and got sick. Noal and Theo watched their mom hold Pip’s hair and rub her back for comfort while she vomited. Later, Theo did the same thing whilst his mother rushed from the bathroom to fetch water.
Noal snapped a sweet photo, later telling Tara, “You’re such a good mom.”
Setting an example is everything, Tara believes. Yet sometimes, nothing beats a child’s intuition.
“The compassion and empathy [Pip] has taught my boys, just by being her, is something I could never teach like she has,” she marveled. “The bond they share is unlike anything I could have imagined.”
