This summer I worked for a mom of two boys as a sitter. Her name is Renee, and her sons' names are Nathan and Nicholas. From the kids' very first day of summer to their very last I was at their home, doing my best to ensure they enjoyed their summers. If I'm being honest, it got tiring. There were nights when I came home just ready for bed and days when I woke up not as enthusiastic as I was the day before. But, while I'm spilling the truth, let me also say that this was easily the most rewarding job I have ever had, making the long days worth every moment and leaving them for the upcoming school year that much harder. So much harder that I actually teared up walking to my car to go home on my last day.

Summer 2017 was the second summer I spent with the boys. The first summer was spent finding fun things to do outside (and inside when the weather was gross) and of course building a relationship with them. Usually connecting with other people is pretty straightforward after asking them questions and figuring out what their interests are-- and it was fairly easy to do this with Nathan. Almost immediately, I knew that he loved video games and watching YouTube videos on his iPad, riding his bike, and going to the playground.

But with Nicholas, discovering his likes and dislikes required more digging, more effort, more time, and more patience. Nicholas has autism, and when I met him over a year ago, he could limitedly express himself verbally; instead, he resorted to screaming "no" when he was told to do something he didn't want to, slapping the windows or wall, or sometimes even crying. Of course some days were better than others for him (and, in turn, me), but the bad days served as reminders that he needed specialized attention to be understood.

Coming to terms with that took a lot of time for me, but it also gave me more motivation to find the best methods of getting through to him. I needed to find ways to understand him, and after a second summer with him, I feel like I finally do. While we had good days and bad again this summer, I can count on one hand the number of bad days he had; in comparison to last summer, bad days were few and far between.

If that's not improvement enough, Nicholas made remarkable improvements in his ability to express himself with words. He now states complete sentences, apologizes, says please and thank you, and even refers to me by my first name without prompting (though he does say 'Tay-tor' rather than 'Taylor', not that I mind). Nick also eats a much more varied diet than he used to; my first summer with him, he had to take a step-by-step approach to eating new foods. This time around, I could put broccoli in front of him and he would eat it without issue. It's almost like he's shedding the layers that keep him hidden, slowly but surely, and I couldn't be more proud.

Surely, part of Nick's transformation can be credited to his older brother, Nathan, who is quite possibly the most loving, appreciative, and understanding sibling EVER! He not only cares deeply about Nick, but he also caters to him and his needs. Nathan is patient with him and offers to play with him, whatever that looks like. Sometimes they wrestle, which results in a pretty contagious laughing fit, and other times they'll ride their bikes or scooters together. When we take the sprinkler out, Nathan will help Nick gain the courage to run through the freezing cold water.

If you can imagine the characters of people who go the extra step to display kindness, then you can picture Nathan. He's only a kid (and sometimes makes it very obvious), yet he holds a level of maturity that I've never seen in any other 6th-grader. He is much of the reason I survived the first full week my first summer, and I will never forget how helpful he was (and is) to me. He is someone I admire, for multiple reasons, and I hope he knows that he is one-of-a-kind. Nathan is also the kind of person who you would meet and say "If only the world had more people like him!" He's just a special kid with a giant heart, willing to give it to anyone and everyone he meets. Being around him makes it easier to love, appreciate, and understand things more freely. He's only 10, but he's already begun to make his mark.

If it's not obvious yet, I'm extremely thankful for the opportunity I had to hang out with both Nathan and Nicholas the last two summers, and for the relationship I have with them and Renee. Each of them have made me a better person in some way, and for that, I am forever grateful.