Monica Reece: What it Means to Be a "Big"
When I started, I didn't know exactly what to expect, though I think I had some lofty movie-of-the-week idea that both of us would meet, grapple, and then be transformed so that my Little would become a Harvard valedictorian and I would leave the corporate world to become Sidney Poitier in "To Sir With Love." Of course, our relationship has been a bit quieter than that, but just as rewarding. The best part is often just the being together, enjoying fun times. I took her to her first Broadway show, "Little Shop of Horrors," and though I know she enjoyed it, I didn't realize how much till I found out she wrote a school report on it and had memorized all the lyrics from the soundtrack I had bought for her after the show. We've ice skated and bowled, baked cookies together at my house and seen countless movies. I still remember one of our first outings together when afterwards her mother called to say how she'd been talking about it all day. That brings up another unexpected reward: getting to know my Little's mom. She is a great lady whom I admire and respect more than I can say. She is loving and sweet and does everything within her power to do what's right for her daughter. I get to do fun things with her I can't do with my friends and I get to see that yes, there's hope for this tired old world yet when I see her smile and hear her ideas about the future.