The Saturday Morning Goblin

‘I think it’s really unfair that you get a bigger bed than me,’ Bear declared one Saturday morning.
I pulled the duvet from my head and looked blearily up at her. She was sat astride me wearing only her pants. With her hands on her hips, her hair in fuzzy disaray and a suspicious smudge of brown goo around her mouth I thought she looked like some sort of Saturday morning goblin sent by a cruel goblin king to restrict my lying in hours.
‘Have you been eating chocolate?’ I asked.
Her tongue darted out to the corner of her mouth, scooping a bit of chocolate from her lip. ‘Mom, don’t try and change the subject,’ she replied.
I took that to mean yes.
‘Now princess...’ I began but she frowned down at me.
No one has a frown like Bear’s. It makes you feel immediately guilty, like you’ve done something wrong; she knows it and you’d damn well better admit it. I’ve never been able to work out how she’s pulls it off; I mean I am the mother aren’t I? The grown up, the adult – the person who is in charge...?
‘So how come you get a bigger bed then mom?’ Bear asked.
‘Well...’ I began but was saved from an immediate answer by Vicci wandering into the room with a king size box of frosted wheat in one hand and a spoon in the other.
‘Did you eat the last Dairy Milk?' she demanded of her sister.
Bear wiped a hand slowly across her mouth and dived under the duvet next to me. 'Noooo...'
'Girls you shouldn't be eating chocolate for breakfast,' I said sternly.
Vics gave me an incredulous look. 'You eat chocolate for breakfast all the time!'
'Well...'
See this is one of those 'parental grey areas', you are, of course supposed to set a good example for your children. I constantly strive to be like one of those parents you think you should be. Eat your fruit, drink lots of water, brush your teeth, bed by seven. In reality though it rarely happens. I DO eat chocolate for breakfast, I rarely drink lots of water and I'm never in bed early. I hate hypocrisy so how can you tell my kids not to eat chocolate for breakfast when I do?
'See I can spread right out in mom's much bigger than my bed,' Bear said, starfishing under the duvet.
'Mom's got a bigger bed cause she's well... bigger,' Vicci said plonking herself down on my foot.
'Thanks for that Vic!'
'Plus mom’s the parental responsibility,’ Vics added.
‘What does that mean Vicci?’ Bear asked. ‘Do you even know?’
‘Bear how old are you?’ Vicci asked.
I rolled my eyes and pulled the duvet around me, here-they-go-again.
‘Ten.’
‘And how old am I your older sister?’
‘Fifteen.’
‘Then of course I know, I know everything that you don’t and you should always listen to me cause I’m always right and after ten years living with me you should know that by now.’
Bear furrowed her little brow for a moment and I paused waiting to see what she would retort with. 'You're a div Vicci.'
'You're a bigger div.'
'You've got fat feet!'
'Girls...' I said giving them THE look.
They glowered at one another for a moment before Vicci shrugged her shoulders, sneaked a quick peek at her fluffy socked foot and scooped a spoonful of dry forsted wheat. 'Whatever, mom's in charge so she gets a big bed.'
I smiled at my oldest.
'Although...' Vics added. 'It's not like she needs a double bed she is single after all.'
The smile faded.
'Grown ups have doubles, kids have singles,' I insisted. 'Single or not.'
'It's not fair,' Bear insisted.
I nodded slowly, Bear was right - it wasn't fair but I'd had a double bed since the day I left home and could actually buy my own sleeping area. I still remember how chuffed I was to have a double bed with big plumped up pillows and an actual duvet opposed to a scratchy layer of blankets.
'I want a big bed!' Bear declared.
'When you're older.'
'Mom that's your standard response when you're not gonna do something,' Vics said climbing in next to me.
I smiled, pulled them in closer and sniffed their hair. I could hear the rain beating against the window and the boiler creaking as it tried vainly to pump some heat around the house. The duvet was all snuggly around us and I realised that this was another of those perfect moments where life is just as good as it could be.
'This is why I have a double bed - so we can all fit in it,' I said.
'No it's cause you've got fat feet,' Bear declared.