Games Children Play

Wherever two or more siblings are gathered I am there. No I'm not talking about Jesus here; I'm talking about the world's worst game: Keep Away. You know the one where the older sibling has something that the younger one wants and then runs around avoiding the younger one as he screams and cries. It could be a toy or an insignificant piece of paper but it always seems that no matter what it is you can bet that it will enervate parents and that said item will be destroyed in the process. Keep Away is probably my least favorite game that children play followed closely by, Jump On Daddy When He Isn't Expecting It, Look What I Found, and Ride the Kitty. 

Competition is the driving force behind Keep Away. Some call it sibling rivalry, but it is essentially one sibling competing for attention, bragging rights etc. over the other(s). I think it is woven into the fabric of our being. Especially if you have an ultra-competitive streak in you. Fathers definitely pass it on to their sons, so I admit that I am just as guilty of Keep Away as my children. I have no idea how to break the cycle, but I do know how to treat the symptoms. I normally take said item and hide, trash, break, shred or incinerate it. Sometimes it brings me great joy, especially if it is a noisemaking toy (see first blog for reference).

I'm sure I played "Keep Away" with my younger brother when we were growing up, although I can't remember it. You probably did too. Why is it that older siblings feel the need to taunt and tease younger ones? Why is it that the younger ones always want whatever the older ones have? Is nah nah nah nah boo boo an instinctual taunt inherent in older siblings or is it learned from others? These are the questions that keep me up at night? Well not really.

In our family Keep Away usually ends when Angelo hurts Antonio (whether by punch, kick, trip, or by beating him with a stick). Then Antonio begins crying and Angelo tries to act innocently. It is an almost daily occurrence here. I'm unsure whether Angelo will take the same course of action against the new baby when he arrives. Will he have learned his lesson and therefore be more forgiving towards his younger sibling? Shaking my Magic 8 Ball - my sources say no. I have a gut feeling that Angelo will continue the tradition of playing Keep Away: a sort of passing the torch if you will. If in the future Keep Away becomes an Olympic sport I am definitely signing my kids up. I have gold medalists in training.