We're not horrible

We're not horrible kids; we've simply drawn my father to the dark side.
I don't know where the idea of survival for the fittest came into our lives. For as long as I can remember, my siblings and I have always fought between ourselves for space to express ourselves.
Not too long ago my parents owned a Peugeot 405. My brother and I named her fondly, Susan (I've been naming things for as long as I've been alive :) Anyway, in the navy blue Suzie we always fought for enough space for each of us, so as you can imagine, when daddy bought mum a Honda CR-V in the new model at the time, we were very excited.
Dad said he was going on a business trip and showed up on mum's birthday with a new car. Needless to say, we all loved the car and we preferred to ride in mum's car rather than dad's 405 that was fond of stalling due to its battery. It's amazing really, how the car was perfectly maintained but the battery seemed to not like Suzie very much.
Oh well, in no time, although we now had MUCH more space in the CR-V, we began to fight for space again.
It's with this background in mind that the little scramble for Africa in our home has evolved from the fight for our parent's attention to a much bigger struggle for independence at the same time interdependence.
This struggle has been one that has been greatly discouraged by daddy and mummy alike, with mum taking a more proactive role. Once, I think I must have been about 13, she made a HUGE ugali and made us eat it all because we were fighting about food.
Oh my! The things we have not done!
Dad has always been the one to keep his cool. Mum is the strict disciplinarian and dad just uses logic to talk you out of stuff. Mum would rather beat sense into you. She's a Leo, so am I (our birthdays are 7days apart) so you can imagine we share some tendencies.
Anyway, today, dad found himself on the dark side. Mum crossed to the dark side a long time ago when she discovered that she also has to scramble for her own things so as to get anything.
Dad has always been much too principled for that.
Sunday after church is our family day. My siblings and I wash the dog. Mum makes a big lunch. During the week she doesn't cook much, between dropping my sister in school at 7am and her classes at 5.30, she gets home around 9 every night together with dad who has now become accustomed to picking her up from school.
I'm sure they secretly enjoy the alone time to just chat and catch up, before getting home to our many demands. Between Nyamde, Huey and myself and not to mention Koco (the dog who's more like a last born) clamoring for attention begins with Koco jumping on the car when they enter the driveway.
"Having a child makes you a parent. Having two makes you a referee!"
Back to dad's woes.
So after some work in the garden, dad came into the house to watch some TV and have lunch. My sister and I were reading books in the dining room, mum was in the kitchen and Huey was nodding away at some hit on his iPod, at full blast.
Anyway, dad is an engineer by profession and as you can imagine making life easier is his passion.
Case in point, we have an electric remote controlled gate! Two living rooms, one for his friends and one for the kids to entertain. We have a study because he doesn't like books everywhere and we have enough electric appliances ranging from electric knives for cutting meat, blenders, juicers, you name it! We've got it!
Now imagine dad's frustration at not being able to find a simple remote control to work the TV! (We have 3 remotes btw!)
He called us all and as usual the responses were "I didn't have it! I don't know where it is!"
That was when he finally broke!
"I'm going to buy my own remote and walk around with it. It will only be mine! I won't share it because that is the only way I can enjoy it!" He snapped.
And the laughter began!
We had finally broken dad.
"If you can't beat them, ...JOIN THEM!"