To Be A Big or Not?

In honor of starting my new job at Big Brothers Big Sisters today, I'd like to pull this post from the archives. Originally published October 29, 2009

The Little and I have been matched for almost a year now. That's the commitment you make when signing up for the program, one year. This poses the question, do I want to continue to be her Big? Last night I was weighing my pros and cons with Sir Sunderland (who remained un-biased the whole time).
Cons

• I only get 2 days a week off to be with my husband, the rest are spent at Starbucks until 9pm. One of those evenings are spent with the Little
• It costs money
• It is a constant source of stress, trying to figure out ideas for what we are going to do
• There really isn't a community surrounding Big Brother's and Big Sisters. I get a monthly email in my inbox and that's it
  
• There is no way to measure what difference I am making in her life
  

Pros

• Taking her to a Safe Halloween night dressed as a witch, getting her face painted, watching her bounce in the bounce house and get candy
• Her saying "Hey! Did you know we've been together for almost a year? February 5th, I have it marked on my calendar."
• The hug I get at the end of every outing
• Picking her up after summer vacation to see her with the same haircut as myself

Those pros definitely outweigh any cons. I want to be a part of her life, see her go through middle school into high school, how she does with playing the cello, celebrate another birthday with her. Even though I may get stressed out about what we're going to do every week, the moment she sits in my car and we discuss her week, all that stress melts away. I think I'll continue what we've got going, see where it goes and hope I am making a positive influence on her life.