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Hello and welcome to the English Like a Native podcast. My name is Anna and you're listening to week 24, day 5 of Your English 5 a Day, the second season.
With this series, I'm giving you the opportunity to have a daily dunk into the English language so that slowly but surely you start to feel more confident and more like yourself when communicating in English.
Today is Friday which means it's big story day.
We're going to bring together all the vocabulary that we've looked at this week in one big story.
So, sit back and relax and listen as we go into to story time.
Who sits next to me?
Growing up as the eldest of seven children, my childhood unfolded against a constant backdrop of noise, mess and squabbling.
So much squabbling.
Anyone Anyone with siblings will know that bickering over toys, space and who gets the last biscuit is just part of the package.
With that experience etched into my memory, I naturally assumed that when I became a mother, my own children would be just the same, at each other's throats more often than not.
heart. Now, I'm the mother of two young boys.
One is four and the other is six.
And I have to admit, I've been pleasantly surprised by how well they get along.
In fact, most days they get on like a house on fire.
They truly enjoy each other's company and seem to compliment one one another in a way that feels almost uncanny.
Not long ago, my eldest told me, unprompted, that he couldn't wait for his younger brother to start school.
Curious, I asked him why.
His answer melted my heart.
Because then I can play with him at playtime and sit with him at lunch. I mean, honestly, how sweet is that?
Outside of school, virtually inseparable.
Whether they're building train tracks, racing cars across the kitchen floor, or whispering bedtime secrets, they seem happiest when they're side by side.
They even share a bedroom, which which they genuinely enjoy, although amusingly, when we got the bunk beds, because the room is quite small.
My eldest protested.
He said he would rather have two beds next to each other so that he could feel even closer to his little brother.
There was something so touching about that.
Of course, it's not all sunshine and rainbows.
Sibling rivalry does make the occasional appearance.
Every now and again, I'll walk in on a petty squabble, usually over something completely trivial, like whether to build a tower or a train set.
Sometimes tensions rise in the garden, one of them might accidentally or on purpose spray the other with the hose and then it all kicks off.
Even though these arguments are usually short -lived, they can still feel dramatic in the moment.
On occasion, my eldest will wind up his younger brother just to see the reaction.
It's not really in his nature, but even the best of us can't resist pushing someone's buttons now and then.
Now let me tell you about a moment that perfectly captures the ups and downs of parenting small children.
The other day I was in the kitchen, apron on, preparing their post school meal.
The boys were in the dining room, deep in concentration, building something that that involved a complex network of plastic bricks.
I called out, time to wash your hands, dinner's nearly ready.
After a bit of clattering and stomping, my eldest appeared, proudly showing off his clean hands.
I asked if he could help lay the table and he cheerfully took the cutlery and got to work.
That's when things took a turn.
A disagreement began to brew about something utterly unexpected.
The boys were arguing over who would get to sit next to mummy during dinner time.
What started as a simple difference of opinion quickly escalated into a full -blown emotional standoff.
my eldest, visibly upset, argued that his younger brother always sat next to me and that it was only fair he got a turn, especially since the younger one had already sat next to me at breakfast. My attempts to reason with them were falling flat.
It didn't matter who I chose to sit next to.
Someone was going to be disappointed.
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In a bid to stay neutral, I suggested flipping a coin.
Let's ask Alexa to decide, I said, hoping that an impartial digital assistant would calm the storm.
My eldest called Heads.
The younger chose Tails.
Alexa flipped it. Tails.
Cue a devastated six -year -old.
His eyes welling up with tears.
His voice going high and squeaky as he cried out, is not fair.
It's just not fair.
Knowing dinner was about to go cold, I returned to the kitchen racking my brain for a better solution.
I needed something fair, something both boys would accept without feeling cheated.
And then, like a light bulb flicking on, I had an idea.
I returned to the table with their plates and said, right, boys, what do you think about this?
How about we make a rota, a schedule?
We'll write down who sits next to mummy on which day.
And that way it's fair and there's no need to argue.
They both looked at me, intrigued.
intrigued so we did it.
We sat down together, created a rotor and pinned it to the fridge.
Now every single day they check the chart religiously to see who gets to sit next to me at mealtime.
It's become a small ritual and one they both take very seriously.
To commemorate the new system and maybe to bestow a bit of extra excitement We made little name tags for each of them, complete with their favourite stickers and a shiny mock medal that looked suspiciously like an 18 -carat gold pendant.
Each winner of the day proudly wears it at the table, though the clasp is already a bit worn from daily use.
Of course, this new arrangement has introduced an unexpected side effect.
Daddy has been relegated to second place.
At every meal, one boy will beam with pride as he declares, It's my turn to sit next to mummy today.
While the other looks a bit put out, his face falling just a little.
and their father, bless him, has to endure being the consolation prize.
He hides it well but occasionally his nose gets put out of joint so I gently remind the boys to make sure daddy feels loved too.
One night my youngest even drew a little heart and asked me to engrave it onto daddy's seat so he knows he's special too.
we try to strike a balance though admittedly the rota remains sacred it's moments like these that remind me parenting is no walk in the park it's a delicate dance of navigating emotions expectations and ever -changing needs if you're aiming to raise emotionally intelligent happy little humans you've got to stay on your toes.
It's exhausting, yes, but rewarding in ways that are hard to describe.
If you're dealing with similar disputes at home, I can wholeheartedly recommend trying a rota.
It may not solve every problem, but it goes a long way in keeping the peace at the dinner table.
And that's our little story for now.
I hope you found today useful and entertaining.
If you did, then please take a second to leave a like, a rating or review.
And until next time, take very good care and goodbye.
