I am sure this is a sibling thing, this making everything into a race. We have contents, competitions, first
place, second place and a battle over who gets what title. They race to eat, they race to get into their coats, to get into the truck, or up the stairs, and down the stairs, or to a particular toy. They race to get a particular plate, a certain colour bowl, and a special cup. The race that I enjoy the most is when they race to see who can help me with a chore like getting the plates out for dinner, getting water for the dogs, or clearing the table.
However, some days it can be very exhausting. The races to see who mom is reading bedtime story too (my husband and I alternate who reads to what child each night), or who is sitting on mom’s lap… Good grief, some days I want to race out of the room, but the problem is they race after me! My son came home from school at the end of February after completing a “Safe Farming” Unit at school and he had a red, white and black sticker that stated “Danger! No Play Area.” I said I wanted to stick it on my bedroom door thinking that might be a safe zone for mom. However, I am not complaining because I love the attention and I am very content to fit both of them on my lap even if I lose feeling in my legs or get a bruise from a bony bum that seems unable to sit still.
The other reason it can be exhausting is truly no surprise: the bickering. This bickering usually needs a firm reminder that we aren’t racing, dinner isn’t a race, and the stairs aren’t a nascar track…
There are days though when I hear the older boy say, “I’m first.” The younger boy will respond, “Yeap me too!” Thankfully instead of arguing the older boy will pat his little brother on the head and say, “Okay we can both be first this time, come on let’s do this now.” Those are the days that I can breathe a sigh of relief and maybe even join in the mad dash around the kitchen island, past the dining table, over the sleeping dog and onto the sofa to pretend it’s a bus heading to space!
By Shari Marshall – written for April 21, 2017
Brewing Coffee, Twisting Words & Breaking Pencils 
So true that competitive spirit is high in boys
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Racing is good, bickering isn’t!
http://sagecoveredhills.blogspot.com/2017/04/r-is-for-get-this-reticulum.html
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Awww, great to see they can get along while still being competitive. It makes those rare moments all the more special.
Discarded Darlings – Jean Davis, Speculative Fiction Writer, A to Z: Editing Fiction
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That was a good one! I think races are cool. 😉 I remember running a few with my brother too when we were growing up. Today, these are memories. Thanks for stopping by happiness and food 🙂
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That phase is still to come with my grandaughter. Or maybe I’m off the hook since there’s only one of her.
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agreeing to both be first is quite cute, but I suspect before long the younger will realise that doesn’t make sense!
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Life is a race,so they say.
Siblings prove it everyday!!!
Have a great weekend!
‘Simplicity’ #AtoZChallenge
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As a mother of only one little boy, I wish I had a little racing going on. My son feels that he has all the time in the world to accomplish anything he wants and sometimes I wish there was a little bit of more of a firecracker under his butt to get things done such as another little sibling around to motivate him to move a little bit faster. I guess whether they’re racing or they’re slow we’re so lucky to have them in our lives. 😉
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I agree, regardless of their speed, the enrich our lives everyday.
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This was such a cute read.
Race and winning I think gives life a purpose and a sense of achievement. But, I also say, race as much as u can but not so much that you exhaust yourself.
Thanks for sharing
A Peice Of My Life
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