Tuesday 28 September 2010

There were never such devoted siblings...

Any mum will know that, when it comes to siblings, there is an order. One arrived on the planet before the other and she knows that.

Take my two. One is the oldest and first and boy does she remind us of this. Actually she mostly reminds her younger sister of this.

"I was here first." She doesn't actually say this (much) but it's in the expression on her face.

Imagine the rare treat of sitting in the front seat of a car. H8 will expect the position of privilege.

R6 meanwhile is a much more laid back character but occasionally just to wind up her elder sibling or just because... she will want to sit in the front seat. So she puts forward her case and wins.

H8 refuses to sit in the car at all.

Eventually, after much persuasion (and a bit of shouting) she will condescend to sit in the rear seat behind her younger sibling.

For the entire journey she is plotting R6's downfall. She would rather the car crash than give up her front seat. She kicks the back of the seat in front of her and scowls.

On the occasions H8 is (triumphantly) in the front seat R6 might sulk a bit, but then being much more laid back she sits behind happily pointing out things of interest ("Ponies!") and making observations ("Mummy are you driving too fast?").

Actually they rarely travel in the front seat - only in Grandma's Micra which doesn't have an airbag and usually when there is a there and a back so they can swap. But H8 is very much aware of precedence.

Which is what makes me uncomfortable about the Labour leadership election. It made me uncomfortable all along.

What were they thinking? One brother or the other but not both.

So the younger sibling got into the front seat and not just the front seat, the driving seat. Is David going to sit behind Ed watching him drive? Or will he be sitting there waiting for him to crash?

It might make for some entertaining politics but I can't help thinking that the trades unions have just shot the Labour party in the foot.

4 comments:

  1. Strange how we think of the natural order of things - younger brother taking alpha male role as head of pack seems not right.

    But I guess Ed had little choice - the alternative being to be subordinate to big bro, (whose ideas he doesn't fully support). If big bro succeeds he will never get a chance - and yet if he fails Ed will be associated with that failure.

    Psychologist will love all this story

    Personally I think they are all mad in the first place.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Strange how we think of the natural order of things - younger brother taking alpha male role as head of pack seems not right.

    But I guess Ed had little choice - the alternative being to be subordinate to big bro, (whose ideas he doesn't fully support). If big bro succeeds he will never get a chance - and yet if he fails Ed will be associated with that failure.

    Psychologist will love all this story

    Personally I think they are all mad in the first place.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sibling rivalry is an interesting thing. We had an only child but she shocked me one time when she told me I liked the cat better than her. Can't win.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Interesting, sadly we have not any children, but we do have two doggies. Our first doggie is without doubt the boss to the second and newest dogggie. Who by the way is twice the size! Pecking order is in place everywhere! x

    ReplyDelete

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