Growing Pains

I suspect that the novelty of being a big brother is beginning to wear thin. Robby, although cordial towards the baby, has made no overtures towards interacting with Timmy. During the past week I have watched my little Koopa become more distant and increasingly melancholy.

Scott and I have both been cognizant about reminding Robby that he is special, lauding him with extra love and attention. Despite our efforts, I sense that he is becoming jealous of our newest addition. I know that jealousy and adjustment pains are normal, but it saddens me to see Robby struggling with his position in the family dynamic. I wish wrapping my arms around him would heal his worries. Unfortunately, it is not so simple. 

Although Robby has been distant, I am still able to cuddle with him on the couch and coax out his anxieties. He confided that he does not really like his little brother, and lamented that his face is not “cute like Timmy’s.” I assured him that he is adorable and handsome, and that I could never love anybody more than I love him. I think it made him feel better, but I suspect that this will be an ongoing issue until he becomes acclimated to the idea of having a sibling.  

Scott and I have been talking about how to help Robby adjust to the change in our family, and we have decided that a few special adventures might be just what he needs. I spent much of yesterday pondering activities that Robby would enjoy, and I decided that he and his Daddy should to go to a “real” baseball game. I went online and began looking for Washington Nationals tickets. 

Wowzers, baseball tickets have become expensive! As if the ticket prices were not cost prohibitive, I find the “convenience fees” charged by ticket brokers to be insulting. What is convenient about my printing the ticket at an additional cost of $9.99 a ticket? I was shocked by the prices, and disheartened that the father/son activity might be sidelined before it started.

 I clicked on one final ticket site before abandoning the plan. Scorebig.com works very much like Priceline, where the   

purchaser proposes the amount he is willing to pay per ticket. A slider indicates the likelihood that the bid would be accepted. As an added bonus, the site does not charge the “convenience fees” which are prolific on most ticket distribution websites.

On a lark, I bid $60 for tickets valued at over $100. I didn’t expect my offer to be accepted, but was delighted when the confirmation landing page loaded. For the price of one ticket, I managed to score two, in a prime location for a little boy’s first “real” baseball game.  I was so excited by the bargain that I almost squealed! 

The baseball game isn’t until June, but hopefully the anticipation will help Robby adjust to the changes in our family. I know that he is going to be a fabulous big brother, but I am not going to push him into the role before he is ready. He will come to terms and accept Timmy into the family on his own time line, and all I can do is make sure he remembers how special he is and how much he is loved. It saddens me that he is doubting his place in our hearts, but I also know that his feelings are normal.  

Now that the Daddy & me date has been set, I need to come up with a special adventure of my own.  Any ideas?