12 Jan 2010

in-betweeners.

At a family christmas function at my parents house last month  I discovered a new demographic group. The in-betweeners. My brothers decided that this was the ideal age-stage to be at. In-betweeners are defined by the following characteristics below;
  • No longer live at home 
  • Are a welcome and pleasant surprise when parents do get to see them
  • Don't feel bad raiding the fridge
  • Not expected to bring a contribution to dinner's
  • Happy to help themselves to the fridge and pantry and basically eat parents out of house and home
  • Entitled to make a mess and not feel bad enough to clean up after themselves
  • Unlike real guests, can sleep in until after midday, expect a cooked breakfast, have a 30 minute shower and leave wet towels on the floor and beds unmade as they borrow the parents vehicles to go to the beach with friends and return the car with an empty gas tank, wet sandy seats and discarded wild bean cartons, empty bottles and unwanted pizza crusts.
  • Not considered a guest but dont have to do the dishes either
As much as I love my siblings this is not okay and I know they are not alone in this "boomerang generation" phenomenon as my father likes to call it. As head of siblings I tend to be charged with teaching them lessons in respect - as this seems to have gone out the window now that the boys tower over my mother and she laughs when attempting to scold them.


Here is an example of in-betweener behaviour at its best, and an example of an appropriate response as head of siblings. My youngest brother asked to borrow my 1975 Triumph for his New Year road trip to Gisbourne which I gladly agreed to as any kind older sister would. On return of the car 2 weeks later - which I had to collect from said brothers work premises, the entire floor was littered with fastfood remnants, empty alcohol bottles, discarded dirty socks, wet towels and a centimetre layer of sand over everything. Oh, and there was 10c of fuel in the tank. I wasnt that worried about it, cleaned it up and asked him to put some gas in which he did later that day. I left his work after swapping cars and headed back to our family home. Upon arrival at home every door and window in the place was open, lights were all on, 2 TVs were going a computer was sitting on the coffee table running, the house had about 70 something newspapers littered everywhere and nearly every dish and utensil in the house had been used and was lying dirty somewhere between couch and kitchen.


Younger brother decided to go out that evening and stayed at a friends house without mentioning it to me so when I woke up the next day I was slightly worried and gave him a 7.30am phone call which was responded to in a rather lacklustre fashion. I mentioned the state of the house to which he seemed to a) not care at all and b) not suggest or even hint at the notion of remedying the mess he and his friends had created. My parents were due home from there holiday at lunchtime and when younger brother said he wasnt planning on being home before them I decided to take action. I collected a bleary eyed younger brother at 8am and he got off with a stern warning and lecture in respect for other peoples property  and spent the rest ofo the day cleaning with a hangover. Hopefully that'll learn him!

Mahalo.

C.K.

Responsible head of siblings.

2 comments:

  1. Said parents were considerably grateful to come home to such a 'tidy' house!! Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  2. :) wish that would work with my brother, reid. not a hope in hell. Ah well, maybe i need to send him to stay with you for a lesson or two?

    ReplyDelete