Yokan Family 'Short-Short' Diary 21 - The Sorrow of the 'Eldest Sons' -

📝You wouldn't call that 'yielding,' would you?

(At the dining table. Mom's homemade cocoa pudding dessert has been divided into four portions for the family. My wife and I have already eaten ours, and a 'bitter sibling rivalry' has broken out over 'which one to eat' between the remaining two.)

Eldest son: 'I want this one~'

Second son: 'This one is mine~💢'

Eldest son: 'I called it first, so I have the right to it~'

Second son: 'That's not fair, is it?~💢'

(Looking closely, the one they are both trying to get is indeed slightly larger. But it's just a 'margin of error,' right?😆)

Me: 'Hey, hey, you two. Mom and I probably had one that was bigger too, but we ate ours without fighting. Don't fight.'

Eldest son: 'I go to school more and work harder, so it's mine💢'

Second son: 'Mine💢'

Me: 'Hey, hey, Y. I acknowledge that you're working hard, but that has nothing to do with this. Well, let's just decide this fairly with 'Rock-Paper-Scissors.'

Second son: 'Okay'

Eldest son: 'Fine (dissatisfied)'

Eldest son & Second son: 'Rock-paper-scissors, shoot!'

(Second son wins)

Second son: 'Yay✌ This is mine~'

Eldest son: 'Ugh~😢'

Me: 'K, don't provoke your big brother like that~💢'

Eldest son: (While eating the pudding) 'Hey K. Since big brother 'yielded' the pudding to you this time, you have to 'yield' to me next time.'

Mom: 'Hehehe. Does that count as Y 'yielding' it?'

Eldest son: 'Yeah.'

Second son: 'Why~?'

Eldest son: 'It will~!'

Me: 'Hey, hey. That's why I told you not to fight.'

(Yeah. I wouldn't call this 'yielding' 😆 But this eldest son's 'insatiable obsession with food' is so much like looking at myself that it's embarrassing. Eldest son! Take my advice. You'd better 'correct your course' while you're still somewhat popular. Otherwise, the same 'endless hell of being single' that I'm in will be waiting for you 😅)

📝'Promotion'? 'Demotion'?

(In bed with Mom)

Me: 'The other day when the three of us guys were sleeping, Y (the eldest son) told me, "I don't think of Dad as a parent, but more like an older brother who's aged." He's messing with me, right?'

Mom: 'Hahaha. So, which part bothered you the most, Dad?'

Me: 'Well, it has to be the "aged" part, obviously.'

Mom: '"That" part? 😆 I wanted you to be bothered by the "not a parent" part, actually.'

Me: 'I see, I see 😅'

Mom: 'But, you know? The other day Y told me, "Dad is like a big kid," so it seems he thought of you like a "younger brother." So, didn't you get a little bit of a "promotion"?'

Me: 'From "younger brother" to "older brother"? 😆'

Mom: 'Exactly.'

Me: 'The road to becoming a "Dad" is quite steep, isn't it.'

Mom: 'Right. Be careful not to get "demoted" again. There are three "lower ranks" than where you are now, you know.'

Me: 'There are that many? What are they?'

Mom: 'Well. There are three levels: "Aged younger brother," "On par with a pet," and "Below a pet." 😆'

Me: 'Stop with the "aged" part! Does that mean that depending on the situation, Dad could end up even lower than Kametaro (our pet turtle)?'

Mom: 'Oh, that's right. If you ever even think about laying a hand on our dear sons, you'll be demoted to "lower than a pet" immediately.'

Me: 'Scary! I'll be careful😅'

Mom: 'Hahaha'

(Even just taking this one conversation between the couple, it's clear what my "standing" is in this house. I must work hard every day to ensure that Kametaro doesn't take my current spot away from me😅)