Sibling Rivalry

I have three kids. I expect a little rivalry, one-upmanship, jealousy. However this morning I dealt with sibling jealousy as I'd never imagined I would.

Emma woke up at 4:30AM with a fever and complaining of a stomach ache. She was up until 6:15AM, when she fell back asleep on the couch. At 6:30AM, her big brother Ian ambles downstairs. When Emma wakes up at 6:40 he tells her she has to come eat breakfast. Emma comes into the kitchen informing her brother that she is not going to school today because she is sick. Instead of compassion from her brother she is met with idignation and anger. "But it's a uniform day!!" Ian protests. "She's missed more days of school than me. It's not fair!!!"

I explained that Emma has a fever and was feeling like she was going to throw up. This does not deter Ian. "Well, I felt like I was going to throw up last night. After you made me eat that meatball, I felt sick. Meatballs taste gross."

His last ditch effort came as a plea. "Can you make me something to eat that will make me sick next week?"

I imagined a lot of different situations I would deal with when I embarked on this journey of parenthood. Never once did I imagine this particular scenario.