Don't try this at home

You haven't read "Lord of the Flies"!!! A truly great and disturbing novel. You probably don't know me, but trust me, read it.

That said, this week I have been off work and looking after my two sons. One is pre-disposed to cutting wit and the other is pre-disposed to upper-cutting. Chaos theory reigns in our house. A moment of sibling harmony can degenerate into violence for no apparent reason. Those who know us know that this is only slightly exaggerated. I realised that the only way to get through the week with my sanity still hanging on by a thread was to keep them on the brink of extreme fatigue and therefore too tired to wind each other up. Hence, daily visits to the swimming pool.

Anyway, this set me thinking about the above-mentioned classic. I wondered what would happen if the two of them were left alone in the house with no other company (or possibility thereof)? Would they find a balance that would see them co-operate and get through it as a team? Or would it spiral out of control as in the novel? An interesting thought experiment, but one the social services would not look too favourably upon "I'm a scientist conducting a serious experiment..."

I suspect that sibling rivalry lies at the heart of it all and that when it comes down to it, brotherly-acceptance (I wouldn't go as far as saying "brotherly love") would overcome and I would return to find them hopping from one leg to the other in the manner of "Lord of the Dance" rather than hopping from one leg to the other after some kind of knee-capping attempt.

On the bright side, my breast-stroke has come along nicely this week - there is a hint of tautness in my pectoral sagginess...