Three year old Mildred Kanker had heard the most magical words she'd ever heard in her whole life a few months back from her parents, "You all are going to have a new little brother or sister!" her mother had cheerfully announced, her hands caressing her belly. She and her brothers cheerfully swarmed around their parents for a nice warm hug and the little girl felt her father's fingers gently ruffle through her bright blue locks, "Looks like you're gonna be a big sister soon, huh Milly?" her father chuckled.
At that moment, Mildred had been both overjoyed and stressed. She was happy that she could be a big sister, but what did big sisters do?
She borrowed every children's book about being a big sister she found in the library.
She had watched several episodes of various children shows where kids learned about the responsibilities of being an older sibling.
She had even googled 'How to be a big sister'… well, okay, she typed in "Who to b a bog siser' but as it was with most three year olds, spelling wasn't not her forte, but all things considered, she had still been pretty close to typing her question in correctly.
And even though she had done all this research, she still felt as if she didn't know enough to be a good big sister. And it was making her feel sad.
She had three wonderful older brothers who made her laugh, protected her, included her in whatever they were doing (even if their friends weren't happy about it, which was rare, but it still never stopped them from including her), helped her with anything she asked for, taught her anything she didn't understand and wanted to know more about, they even made her wonderful gifts, like her spider silk gun, which ever since her brothers gave it to her for her third birthday, she had never let leave her side.
Now, she knew they would be great big brothers to the new baby cause, well, they already were good big brothers, but what about her? What did one do to become a great big sister?
This question never stopped crossing her mind, no matter what she did and she was starting to feel upset about it, but what could she do? She couldn't talk to her parents about it because she didn't want her Mommy and Daddy to know that she hadn't figured out how to be a good big sister yet and she couldn't talk to her brothers about it because they wouldn't know how to be a good big sister anyway, they were boys, they could only be big brothers.
So, Mildred was left to solve this mystery on her own, and while normally the thought of her solving the mystery of anything besides 'where are Mommy or Daddy's keys' or ' where did that piece of your brothers' invention go?' or 'who's got your nose' filled her with glee, this case just seemed to be too much for the normally spunky three year old.
One day while she and her brothers were at summer camp/daycare at Miss Rachel's, the woman came up to her, well, more like waddled up to her with her hands cradling her own pregnant belly, and asked, "Ranger Mildred, why is your frown upside down?"
"Smile." Her husband and co-worker, Mister Conner corrected as he and their two sons walked out into the yard where Mildred had been pouting and the two boys walked over to her, curious as to why she seemed so distraught as well, "Why is your smile upside down." He offered.
"That is what I said, yes?" Miss Rachel said, then turned to the little girl and rephrased her question in a gentle tone, "Why are you so down, little one?"
Mildred looked up at Miss Rachel, "I'm gonna be a big sister soon and I don't know how to be one!" She said, her eyes filling with tears.
"Do not cry, Spider-Girl-Mildred!" Ralph said, gently patting the girl's head, "I will soon be a big brother and I am not worried!"
"You're not?" she sniffled as she rubbed away the forming tears.
"No! I have Rick! He is a good big brother, yes?" he said, pointing to his elder brother, who was trying to hide his flushed face behind the rim of his hat. "I have learned everything about being a good big brother from him!" he paused, thinking, then brightened, "Perhaps Spider-Girl-Mildred should ask some big sisters she knows about what a big sister should do?" he suggested.
Mildred brightened, of course! Why hadn't she thought of that? She quickly went through all the big sisters she knew of and smiled, "Thank you, Ralph!" she said, giving the boy a big hug before racing out to the playground, searching for the bestest big sister she knew…
.
Jasmine was playing tea party with Penny, Roxy, Mia, Tia, Kim and April, when April excused herself to the bathroom and skipped inside Miss Rachel and Mister Conner's house when little Mildred raced up to them, crying out, "APRIL! APRIL! APRIL!"
"She just left for the bathroom, what's up?" Jasmine asked.
"I wanted to ask her about being a big sister since I'm gonna be one soon!" Mildred blurted as she glanced around, hoping she could spot the eldest Kanker on her way to the house.
"Why?" Roxy asked in Penny's stead. Mildred flushed and glanced at her shoes, "'Cause- 'cause I'm Spider Girl and I don't know how to be a good big sister… And! And Ralph said that he wasn't worried about not being a good older brother 'cause he can learn all he needs to know about being a good big brother from Rick! … So I thought that maybe April could teach me how to be a good big sister!" she said, her voice bouncing from sad and a little ashamed to energetic and hopeful a few times during her explanation.
The group of girls paused thoughtfully at the idea, Jasmine being especially pensive because her mom was pregnant too and she would soon be an older sister as well. She had been so busy between being excited about the baby and helping get everything ready for it and helping her dad keep her mom from flipping out about everything that she had never had the time to think about what she should do for the baby once it was actually born. And now she felt a bit out of sorts, what good was it to help prep for the baby if she didn't know how to be a good big sister for it?
"That's a really cool idea!" Kim cried excitedly, breaking the silence as she gushed that, "You and Rick and Jasmine are so lucky! I wish I could have a little brother or sister too! They're so cute! But my Mom and Dad said that I already have two awesome big brothers and that we don't need another baby…" she said, sounding a bit upset at the end of the sentence, her two best friends patted her on the shoulder sympathetically.
Jasmine looked at Mildred, the little girl had the right idea and she wanted to ask April too, but it would be kind of embarrassing to ask something like that… not that April would tease them or think lesser of them for it. No, April was too sweet and kindhearted to ever so much as think something like that, if anything, she'd probably be very proud of them for wanting to know all they could about being a big sister before their new little siblings came into the world. But asking something that sounded so simple and easy was still really embarrassing… but she still really wanted to ask… Jasmine found herself caught in a loop of 'want to, but it's embarrassing, but still really want to' and quickly yanked herself out of it, she would get nowhere if she kept thinking like that… then she noticed how antsy Mildred seemed to be and how pink her cheeks were and how her eyes seemed to roam around nervously, perhaps her asking April was difficult for her too… Jasmine smiled, she had an idea that could help both of them.
"Hey Milly, since we're both gonna be big sisters, why don't we both ask April to teach us?" she suggested, figuring that if she offered to join her in her quest to understand the role of big sister better, that it would be easier for both of them to ask.
"Really?" Mildred beamed, her eyes wide with joy and gratitude that Jasmine would be her partner in such a difficult case, "Uh, yeah," Jasmine said, trying not to act as embarrassed as she felt with the little girl's sparkling eyes of glee upon her as she went onto say that, "I mean, we're both gonna be big sisters so maybe we can help each other…" Jasmine didn't get to finish her statement before Mildred gave her a big hug, "We're Spider Girls!" she cried out cheerfully, Jasmine smiled and hugged the little girl back, understanding the girl's outburst as words of thanks and that they could do it.
"We'll help too!" Roxy cried, as Penny nodded eagerly, "We'll go get April for you!"
"I'll go too!" Kim volunteered, popping out of her seat as Penny pushed herself off the ground with one hand, cradling Roxy in her free hand. Before any of the other girls could say anything more about it, the two (three if you're counting Roxy) dashed off towards the house at an impressive speed, leaving Jasmine, Mildred, Mia and Tia at the play table.
Mia and Tia looked at each other, then Tia blushed as she spoke in a soft voice, "Well, I probably won't be much help, but Mia's my big sister by a few minutes, maybe she could help too." Mia gave her a hug and said, "Of course you can! Even if I'm a few minutes older, we're still twins, we have our connection so we can both help!" Tia smiled and hugged her sister back.
"Rule Number One," Mia giggled, "Hugs always help when they're feeling down!" The older girls chuckled while Mildred patted her dress down for paper and something to write with. After running back to Miss Rachel and Mister Conner handing her a couple pieces of construction paper and a few crayons before she ran back, handed Jasmine some paper and crayons as well and the girls wrote out the rule as best they could (again, Mildred is three, so her letters and numbers aren't exactly legible at this point in time) just as Kim and Penny dragged April, back from the bathroom.
"What's going on?" she asked.
Mia and Tia quickly explained what was going on and that they were hoping she could help the two older sisters to be, completing each other's sentences with ease, as if flaunting their deep knowledge and trust in one another.
"So you want me to teach you two how to be good big sisters?" April clarified. Jasmine and Mildred nodded, looking up at her eagerly, April gave them her classic cheerful smile and said, "Of course! I'm going to a sleepover at my friend Judy's house tonight, but I'll be back home by noon tomorrow, why don't we start then?"
"Okay!" Jasmine agreed, pleased that April would help them as Mildred began bouncing on her toes and dancing with the other girls cheering about how, "I'm gonna learn how to be the bestest big sister ever!"
After the girls did a series of victory dances, Miss Rachel called them over, telling them that their parents were there to pick them up, Mildred and Jasmine stuffed the papers they wrote on into their pockets as the girls met up with their parents and brothers and waved goodbye as they all walked home.
Mildred was so excited about her Big Sister lessons tomorrow that she couldn't stop smiling and bouncing on her toes as she helped her family make dinner and set the table.
"So, Mildred, what were you and the girls talking about to make you so giddy?" Larry asked her as they all sat down for dinner. They had been at Miss Rachel's as well, but they were playing in the sand box with Ralph before he got stung by a bee and his brother put a halt on his game with Kim's brothers, Calvin and Noah, to rush him to their closest parent (their Papa) and get him some first aid, the two boys captured the insect at fault for their friend's injury and planned to study it later that evening. (because just killing it would be too kind after it harmed one of their best friends for just sitting and playing in the sand with them, not swatting at it or agitating it at all)
"Yeah, you were quiet all day and then after you talk to Miss Rachel and Ralph, you race over to the girls and then you all get excited about something." Terry elaborated for the rest of the family to understand why her sudden cheerfulness was so odd as they began passing platters of food around and Allbert helped her fill up a plate, their parents and eldest brother looking at her, concerned. Mildred was a vibrant child to say the least, always loud and cheerful, so the fact that she had been quiet all day was news to them.
Their mother had been called into work to cover for Dr. Feeble while their father had sat with their uncles as they watched as Allbert, Sheldon and Andy dashed around for football at Peach Creek Jr. High. Now, Allbert wasn't a huge fan of the sport, but due to their daily spats with Ty, Tom and Tim, the school councilor insisted that the six of them try out for the Peach Creek Cobblers together, saying that 'Once you work together as a team and get to know one another, perhaps you'll all get along better!' (Author: It doesn't work. The coach didn't know the plan and put them on apposing teams for try outs, they basically rammed and tackled each other all day, which isn't all that much different than their usual school tussles.)
The elders of their family turned to Mildred, curious, "Mildred?" her mother called softly. Mildred froze as she stared at her mother, she didn't want her Mommy to know that she didn't know how to be a big sister yet! She didn't want her Daddy or big brothers to know that either, so instead, she did something she wished she didn't have to; she lied.
"April's helping her friend draw a new comic and she asked me to come to her house at noon tomorrow to pose for her, a few of the other girls in the neighborhood are helping too." She said softly, having a hard time keeping eye contact with her mother, who inspected her with a thoughtful expression for a moment before softening and saying, "Oh! Well, that sounds lovely! Just be sure to let either me, your Father or one of your brothers know if you're going to stay at Aunt An and Uncle Jay's for dinner, alright?"
"I'm Spider Girl!" she said with a nod and a salute before digging into her meal, stuffing her face with food to avoid any more questions for her to answer, after all, her Mother was very firm about not talking with food in one's mouth. (Author: A beautiful benefit to manners, giving you an excuse not to talk about stuff you don't wanna talk about at the dinner table)
After she ate dinner, she had a popsicle for dessert, a nice bath and her parents tucking her into bed, her brothers quickly slipping into the room so she could get a kiss from each member of her family and give her mother's belly a kiss and a hug before she snuggled into her comfy bed to sleep and her family wished her a good night before turning on her night light (Author's Note: what? Even Spider Girls can be afraid of the dark when they are three years old, there could be monsters under her bed or in her closet and without light she won't be able to aim properly!), turning out the lights and closing her bedroom door.
Mildred smiled as she drifted to sleep, cuddling her old bunny that her brothers had given to her as a baby and her spider silk gun close to her chest as she dreamed of holding her bundled up new baby sibling (whose face she could not see and whose gender she did not know) and her family praising her for being such a good big sister.
.
Jasmine was also excited for tomorrow's lessons, but she was also nervous. Although, after her mother had flipped out about how fat she looked in her nightgown before they all went to bed at their usual time, she nearly forgot about the lessons entirely. It took a pint of Ben and Jerry's and an hour of her father and her telling her how pretty she was and how she was being silly before she finally calmed down and went to bed. Her dad pulled out another pint of ice cream and scooped it all out into two big bowls of ice cream for the two of them and told her that "You're such a good girl, Jazzy. You'll make a great big sister, just like your Aunt An." Jasmine stopped halfway through a bite of peaches and cream ice cream and stared at him, "Aunt An?" she echoed, the doubt and worry she had about not learning enough about being a big sister from April fading away as she realized that there were two big sisters she could ask for advise.
"Yeah, your Aunt An is my big sister." Her dad reminded her, "You never stop being someone's brother or sister, even when you grow up."
"Was Aunt An a good big sister?" Jasmine asked softly, stirring the ice cream around in her bowl with her spoon.
"One of the best." Her dad said, his eyes glazed over and a small smile curled up his cheeks, it looked as if he was enjoying a stroll through memory lane while Jasmine realized that her ice cream was melting and began gobbling it down, her dad snapping out of his daze as she dropped her spoon in her empty bowl with a loud clink and gently taking her hands in his around the bowl, stopping her from washing the bowl out and slipping it into the dishwasher so her mother would never know that they had ate so much ice cream before bed.
"Jazzy, are you nervous about being a big sister?" her dad asked her in a soft voice. Jasmine felt panic crawl up the back of her throat, she couldn't let her dad know about her doubts! She didn't want her dad to worry about her feeling unprepared for the duties of a big sister while her mom was acting crazy, her cravings and mood swings threw them both through flaming hoops suspended over giant vats of acid that they barely managed to safely slip through for the past few months. The last thing her dad needed was another thing to worry about.
"No, Dad." She said softly, "I'm totally ready for it, I mean, the baby's gotta be easier to handle than Mom." (Author's Note: Oh, you poor, naïve child.) Her dad chuckled a bit as he quickly finished up his ice cream and put both bowls into the sink and began rinsing them off as she went on to say that, "…and-and even if I'm not, I have two good big sisters who I can go to for advise, right?" Her dad smiled at her, "You know it, Princess." He said softly as he put the bowls and spoons in the sink and scooped his daughter up into his arms, "Come on, Jazzy Bear, it's time for bed." He said as he carried her to her room and tucked her in, gave her a kiss on the forehead, told her he loved her, wished her a good night and turned out the light, her flower shaped night light sending out a soft purple light into her room.
"… I will be a good big sister." She told herself as she felt her eyelids become heavy, "You can count on me, Daddy." She promised before drifting to sleep, her determined expression softening when she finally succumbed to slumber.
.
Mildred and Jasmine were both waiting with their mothers outside April's house the next day five minutes before she was due home, the other girls came over and wished them luck and apologized for not being able to stay due to having to go on a few errands with their mothers. The three elder Kanker boys were at football practice again, this time, the Kanker men brought the other fathers and boys of the cul-de-sac to watch them too (Except for Conner, he had to work on the farm with Rachel and finish the morning chores up, he joined them when they finished). Mildred and Jasmine's mothers, who were the only ones besides April's mom who weren't out on errands or busy with household chores, had decided to enjoy an afternoon of snacks and swapping stories while the girls played. After they established this, they decided to wait for Aunt An to return with April and then the women would chat in the kitchen while the girls played outside.
After a few minutes of waiting, An returned with more than just April, but her friend Judy and Mrs. Goldstein, Judy's mom, as well.
April pulled Judy towards the two younger girls after they climbed out of the car and said, "Judy volunteered to help too since she's a-" Mildred and Jasmine quickly clamped their hands over their elder cousin's mouth, hissing out 'shhhh!' and indicated their mothers with their fingers. Judy picked up on the fact that they were trying to keep their big sister lessons a secret before April did and decided to help the two out. "Uh, the scene she's drawing for the comic needs three people, so I'm here to help." She loudly informed them, remembering what Miss An said to her mother on the way over about the little girls volunteering to pose for one of April's comics. Their mothers stopped in the middle of their greetings and cheerful discussions to look over at the girls (April's mouth free from her cousins' hands), seemingly soak in the information and then go back to chatting as Judy's mom held up a beautiful cake and An ushered them towards the house, the women urging the girls to 'have fun!' before vanishing inside the house.
The girls let out sighs of relief that the women bought it as they then dashed inside to get some of April's art supplies (to keep up appearances) and go back outside so April and Judy could begin their lesson.
.
After two hours, Jasmine and Mildred seemed to get the basics of being big sisters down, much to April and Judy's relief. Helping them understand how to be good big sisters was actually more difficult than it sounded.
April had been the first child born in the neighborhood, she was used to being the eldest and didn't understand how it was like to be an only child like Jasmine (although, Jasmine seemed to get some of the concepts of being an older sister from dealing with her pregnant mother), since she had been a baby while she had been an only child and couldn't remember much of it. Judy was the middle child in her family, so it meant that while she was a big sister, she was also a little sister, so she could kind of relate to Mildred a bit, but the age differences between Mildred and her brothers were radically different from hers, (Allbert- eight years older, Larry and Terry- two years older vs Isi (Judy's older brother) – one year older and Tom (Judy's younger brother) one year younger) so it was hard to come up with ways Mildred would tackle certain problems alone without either one of her parents, her brothers, her mother's cousin, Luca, who often came over to help out, her grandparents, or her great aunts around to help.
But, they still managed to teach them what they could before Judy, Jasmine and Mildred went home, holding their mother's hands and thanking April and her mother for having them as they left.
April collected her supplies and collapsed into the couch, "Being a teacher is hard work," She huffed to her mother, who sat beside her, wondering why she seemed so tired, "But I feel really good about what I did." She finished with a tired smile, "Maybe I'll be a teacher when I grow up." Her mom smiled and kissed her on the forehead, "You can be whatever you want, April, as long as you're happy doing it."
She smiled at her mom and thanked her before her brother and father came home, informing them that Sheldon, Andy and Allbert had made the football team and then conversing all about their day.
April listened to her family's words but found herself glancing through the windows towards Mildred and Jasmine's houses, wondering if what she and Judy taught them had been of any help. She wasn't sure but she had a feeling that the two girls would be fine, after all, even if they didn't know how to be good big sisters, wasn't the fact that they went to all this trouble to learn about being one enough proof that they'd be great? April pondered this until her dad announced that they should start on dinner before it got too late and April popped off the couch and followed her family into the kitchen to get started, stopping at the doorway for a moment and glancing through the windows at her two young cousins' houses.
'Yeah,' she told herself as she saw the two girl's shadows through the windows, 'they'll be great big sisters.'
.
Over the next few weeks, Mildred and Jasmine worked hard to know about helping their families with the baby. They had their moms show them how to take care of a baby and convinced Larry, Terry, Ralph, Sheldon and Mildred's friends, Max and Rayen, (since Penny and Roxy claimed that they'd rather watch and learn) to help them practice everything but the diaper changing (they all decided that they could learn more changing a dolly's diaper then having them wear diapers and having them change them). They helped Miss Rachel with the younger children (which was actually nice since her baby bump was starting to get in the way of her work a bit) and even worked with their moms to make a toy to bring to their new siblings in the hospital after they were born, poking their fingers with sewing needles and knitting needles a few times while doing so.
Overall, the two girls were working hard to become good big sisters and were feeling confident in their abilities.
Then one day Mildred's parents came to pick her brothers up from after school care and her up from preschool and placed one hand from each child on their mother's belly, "Say hello to your baby sister." Their mother said softly.
Mildred was overjoyed at first, after all, even though she loved her brothers and father, she and her mother were outnumbered 4 to 2 in their household and it would be nice to have another girl in the house to play with… a girl… oh no…
Mildred's eyes began swimming in tears and before she knew it, she was outright bawling.
"What's wrong, Milly?" Terry asked.
"Yes, I thought if anything, you'd be happy to have a little sister to play with." Larry agreed.
"Were you hoping to have a little brother instead?" Allbert asked her, trying to make some sense out of this with his brothers, first the girl works so hard to get ready for the baby and now that she knows that she's going to have a little sister, she cries?
"No!" she sobbed.
"Then why are you crying, Milly?" her father asked as he scooped her up into his arms and up to her mother, "You got the little sister you wanted."
"It's-na-not-t-tha-that-I-didn't-wha-wha-want-on-one-or-da-the-other!" she breathed inbetween tears, "BUT I'M SPIDER GIRL AND I ONLY LEARNED HOW TO BE A GOOD BIG SISTER TO A LITTLE BROTHER!" she wailed, "I DON'T HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO LEARN HOW TO BE A GOOD BIG SISTER TO A LITTLE SISTER BEFORE SHE'S BORN! I'M GONNA BE A BAD BIG SISTER EVEN THOUGH I TRIED SO HARD NOT TO BE ONE!" Mildred then completely broke down in her father's arms, crying hysterically and clung tightly to her dad's jacket, her body bouncing violently as she sobbed.
Jasmine felt as if she had been struck. Mildred was absolutely right; they had learned about being a big sister from two girls who only had little brothers; they only practiced taking care of babies on boys; and they were only able to use what was probably a boy baby doll to learn how to change a diaper since it was the only baby doll Miss Rachel had for them to practice on.
They knew nothing about being a big sister for a little girl.
Jasmine felt as if her lungs were collapsing as she gripped her hair, what if she had a little sister too? She wouldn't know what to do! And there was only so much time left before the kid would be born! She didn't have enough time to learn everything at kindergarten and take care of her mom AND learn how to be a good big sister to a little girl!
She suddenly couldn't breathe, she became as pale as her hair and tried to suck in air, but to no avail as she watched the little three year old crying loudly, apologizing to her mother and her baby sister for being an awful big sister, her father and brothers trying their hardest to convince her otherwise and calm her down, but no matter what they said, she simply howled, "NO! I'M SPIDER GIRL!" as if telling them that there was no excuse for her failure to consider that she could have a little sister instead of a little brother and did not prepare for it properly.
Then her mother gently took her out of her father's embrace, pulled her close and asked, in a soft voice, "What are you talking about, Sweetheart?"
Mildred tried to explain, only to let out loud sobs instead. "Take a deep breath, Mildred, you can do it, you are Spider girl after all." At that, Mildred began to calm down, she took deep breaths and wiped at her face for a minute before she could speak, "I'm Spider girl…" she sniffled, "And Spider girls have good mommies and good daddies and good big brothers, so I wanted to be a good big sister… but…" her eyes began to water again, "But even though I worked really hard to learn how to be a good big sister, I could only practice on boys and asked people with little brothers and…" Her mother stopped her mid-way through her explanation and hugged her tightly, smiling jubilantly at her when they parted, "Your little sister is a very lucky little girl to have you as her big sister, Mildred." She said proudly.
Mildred looked up at her mother, her eyes wide, "Sh-She is?" she sniffled.
"Of course! You've done so much to get ready for her arrival and have been working so hard to be the best sister you can be before she's even born that it doesn't matter if she's a girl. You love this child so much and obviously treasure her and will do your best to help her and care for her and that's what big sisters do." She stroked a few stray hairs off her daughter's face, "I certainly wish I had an older sister as dedicated as you growing up."
Jasmine let the words sink in as air returned to her lungs. Dr. Ann was right. It didn't really matter if the baby was a boy or a girl, she was gonna work hard to look out and care for her new sibling either way, she felt relieved and smiled along with everyone else as they watched a smile finally curl up Mildred's cheeks as tears of relief and joy trickled down them, "Ye-You do?" Mildred asked.
"Yes, Mildred. We all do." She said, her husband and sons nodding in agreement as they pulled the three year old into a big group hug, "But, then again, what did we expect?" Her father chuckled, "after all, you are…"
"SPIDER GIRL!" Mildred cheered as she snuggled into the warmth of her family's embrace. Everyone chuckling at the sight before the Kanker family headed home, Jasmine stopping them for a minute by gently tugging on Dr. Ann's skirt to smile at Mildred and say, "Congratulations on your new little sister, Milly! She's definitely a lucky girl!"
"Thank you, Jazzy! You'll be a great big sister too!" Mildred exclaimed happily before they said their good byes and she watched the family walk home, Mildred chattering on excitedly as they did.
Later that week Jasmine would learn that she was getting a little sister too, and she felt confident that she would be the best big sister she could be for the girl.
.
A few months later, Mildred was racing through the halls with her brothers, Luca, all of her grandparents and her great aunts and Gladys the Great, the bunny blanket (a hand knitted bunny head and arms attached to a blanket) she had made for her new little sister in her arms. As the four Kanker siblings rotated in a circle, glancing for their mother's room number until Luca spotted their father waiting outside the door for them.
He smiled at the sight of his family and silently placed a finger to his lips as he opened the door, revealing their tired mother holding a pink colored bundle lovingly.
Mildred looked at the rest of her family meekly and murmured, "Ca-Can I go in to see her first?"
The adults chuckled as her siblings nodded in agreement and motioned for her to enter before them while their grandmother started filming.
Mildred scampered up to her mother, her gift held tightly in her hands as she reached the bed, then she used her spider silk gun to help her up to her mother and new little sister.
"I-Is this my new baby sister?" she whispered, in awe of the tiny slumbering marvel curled up in her mother's arms.
"Yes." Her mother replied in a gentle tone as she motioned for the blue haired child to come closer, "Mildred, meet your little sister Emma."
"Ca-Can I hold her?" Mildred asked quietly, her eyes sparkling. Her mother chuckled as she carefully placed the infant in her elder daughter's arms and softly instructed her how to hold the baby before gently threading her fingers through her blue hair.
Mildred looked down at Emma, and carefully slipped the gift she had made near where she guessed her hands would be.
"We're Spider Girls." She whispered, giving the newest addition to the family a kiss on the forehead before gingerly passing her sister to her brothers and feeling her parents' arms wrap around her, "You certainly are, Mildred." Her mother cooed, "You certainly are."