The brothers’ bond reminded the school community to be kind and compassionate.

Two brothers who attend the same school have been gaining attention thanks to the display of love involved in their morning routine. 

When you think of siblings, there is the idea of rivalry, nostalgia and childhood memories — but is there also pure love and compassion? 

Why One Boy Accompanied His Brother to Class

little kids sitting at a desk
Photo by Naomi Shi

Seven-year-old Thomas Brose and five-year-old Nathan are two brothers close in age who attend the same school. This is a tale as old as time except in this case, Nathan is neurodivergent. He was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) when he was just a baby. 

Nathan’s ASD means that he has a severe speech delay and struggles with communication — but these differences have not affected the strong bond he shares with his brother. They have an amazing relationship and love going to the same school. 

Once the two little boys get to school, they each go to their own class and don’t really see each other for the rest of the day. At least, that was how things went until one day when Thomas expressed his curiosity about what went on behind the closed doors of Nathan’s classroom.

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Not only was Thomas curious about how Nathan was doing emotionally, he was curious about the projects he was working on — especially art! 

At school, Nathan regularly gets help from a paraprofessional named Mrs. Dempsey. So, when Thomas wanted to accompany Nathan to his classroom one morning, he pleaded with Mrs. Dempsey to help make it happen.

Mrs. Dempsey agreed and said, “Tomorrow morning, you can walk down with us and I’ll show you some of the stuff that your brother’s been working on and you can see the classroom.” 

Thomas was buzzing. The next morning would be the start of something beautiful.

How a 7-Year-Old Boy Supported His Brother

Thomas knew exactly how to pitch in to support his brother the next morning. He helped Nathan take his coat off, put his book bag away and put his lunch where it belonged.

Then, he took him into his classroom and got him all set up. That was the first morning that they walked into Nathan’s class together. The compassion and kindness displayed by Thomas warmed his parents’ hearts.

“Sometimes if you sit back and let the children show you [the way], the outcome is greater than you could ever have expected,” their mother Jill Brose said.

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Mrs. Dempsey instantly saw a change in Nathan’s behavior. Thomas knows intuitively what Nathan needs, so incorporating him into Nathan’s morning really helped his anxiety and set his day on the right foot — and it increased his confidence. As part of their routine, Thomas always checks out the art Nathan has been working on and compliments it. 

The story really shows the power of brotherhood — the smallest act of kindness can really turn somebody’s day around.

At a young age, children learn things like acceptance and understanding — and it is wonderful that at Thomas and Nathan’s school, both the kids and adults can learn from example.

How One Boy Proved the Importance of Brotherhood

The story gained media attention and was covered by local news outlets. Viewers were amazed to see the love between the two boys. Comments came pouring in, sharing stories of kindness people had witnessed in their own lives.

“Over 20 years ago, I was student teaching at a school with financially poor families. One of my kids was in 1st grade and his brother was in kindergarten. They lived with an elderly, loving, grandma as their only family. The older brother ALWAYS helped his brother get to his class, helped with his coat and stuff, and then he RAN into our class APOLOGIZING for being late. His teacher and I agreed that he would NEVER be counted as late. I got to be the one to tell him that he could slow down and just come in when he gets his brother settled. The rest of the class was great about it because they all knew his family. I don’t know what happened to him, but am sure that if he’s out there now, he’s a caring, sweet man.”

This story is a beautiful example of how witnessing kindness can help us change our perspective. So powerful!