Siblings

A week or so ago, I was talking to Nicole on the phone.  For those not in the know, she is the mother of my favorite small people in the world.  We were talking about her three kids and she told me "All they do is f-i-g-h-t!" and I had to laugh.  As the third girl in her family, her sisters were lots older so she was almost in effect, an only child.  She had no idea that that's what siblings are supposed to do and that if they can engage their mom at the same time, then they've hit pay dirt deluxe.

She told me the other afternoon in the car, Hudson had told his next in line sister that "Hadley, you're gonna die tonight" to which Hadley immediately burst into tears and said "Mommie...I don't wanna die tonight".  Here all 4 of them are, trapped in the car in the late afternoon traffic, and the first sibling grenade is launched.  For all the older siblings out there (especially brothers), I know you're screaming "Score!!!" at the top of your lungs--don't think I can't see you 'cause I can.  With a direct hit like that one, you'd have to be crazy not to celebrate a little. 

There's something about siblings and being trapped in the car with your mom that brings out the very best in family warfare.  I remember my mom driving us home from the Country Club late one afternoon pulling off on Mockingbird and stopping the car, threatening to beat the tarnation out of us, if we didn't STOP fighting.  I remember being slightly scared she might actually do it, but also thinking it was the funniest thing ever, and wanting to do it again.

Grocery stores were another WWF venue.  There you could actually run away from your tormenter and have him chase you.  All I can say is, it's a good thing the HP Village Safeway didn't sell booze back then or I swear my mom would have been drinking in the smack middle of that store, straight out of whatever bottle she could find, with the rest of the mom's with fighting kids.  Ahhh....brings back so many fun memories...