All's Fair That Ends Fair

No matter how diligent you are at your parenting skills and with training your children to uphold your principles and values, there are ‘those’ times, we must all admit when there is a sudden lapse in heeding to our instruction.

Unfortunately, these rare moments always occur right in full view of the public eye and we are forced to confront the offending forgetfulness as if ‘staging a premiere’ in front of critics, whilst the words that are racing through your mind are: “Why now? Why here of all places, when all eyes are on you? “

Is this the time when you are supposed to ‘grin and bear it’? Well, I certainly couldn’t help but grin this time.

My parents treated me and the kids to iced chocolate and coffee at Starbucks the other day. Since the drinks were quite large, I ordered one iced chocolate and one caramel milkshake to share between the 4 younger kids that were accompanying me on this occasion. I, of course, if anyone knows me well enough, ordered a mug of Starbucks coffee. (It is only THE best coffee, beyond comparison, in my opinion (to-date that is) – I’m sure all real coffee drinkers out there would agree!).

I had paired Miss 6 and Master 3 with the iced chocolate, the older girls had the caramel.

Watching the 2 younger ones, I observed that Master 3 was dominating the cup, so I wizened up and promptly produced 2 drinking straws. With a straw each, Master 3 came to realize that he had no way out of sharing. He was not to be duped. When Miss 6 went for another sip, he yanked her straw from her mouth, his straw still in his. Being reminded to share a second time, he devised yet another ploy. Referring to Miss 6, he directed his voice to his two older sisters, and matter-of-factly stated “You share with her”. Hoping, of course, that he would then get to have the iced chocolate all to himself.

While marveling at his clever thinking, I went on to reprimand him for being so greedy.

Knowing now, that he wasn’t going to get his way, he turned sullen and stubborn leaving the iced chocolate well alone. By this stage, he had already had his fair share, so when Miss 6 happily sets in to finally drinking some, it was even-steven.

Within minutes we had finished and were getting up to leave the table, when Master 3 pipes up, “Mum, can I go to the playground? Can (Miss 6) come too?” The chocolate incident, by now, well and truly forgotten. That’s my boy.

All’s fair that ends fair, I guess.

Copyright 2007. Rebecca Laklem.