As a Mentoring Coordinator with Big Brothers Big Sisters Ottawa (BBBSO), it is my pleasure to speak with many of our Littles on a regular basis.  There are many questions that we ask our Littles to make sure that they are happy in their match.  There have been a few answers to these questions that have really stuck with me…. One of my favorite questions that I always ask Littles is: What is it that you like best about your Big?  Now, as you can imagine, I get quite a few varying answers to this question.  Many times Littles answer this question by saying that they like having a Big who takes them to do fun things that they wouldn’t otherwise get to do.  They explain that this is great for them because they get to get out of the house and do something fun with a friend instead of being by themselves and bored.  This is undoubtedly a great perk to having a Big.  This is also a great answer to my question as it means a lot for our Littles to have those experiences in their lives.  My favorite answer to this question so far though, has got to be one Little named Sarah* who really dug deep to come up with the answer “I like my Big because she takes the time to show me things and she never gets mad at me like other girls.”  Sarah said that she has been having a hard time at school where she gets picked on quite a bit.  With her answer to this question she was explaining to me how her Big makes her feel important and gives her a chance to mess up sometimes without feeling stupid.  I definitely think that being a Big is not about grand gestures or teaching anything earth shattering.  Being a Big is about being a friend to a Little and having little everyday experiences together.  You never know which experience will have the greatest impact.  If you have a couple of hours a week to spare, download an application form and be part of something BIG.