Jun 27 2007
The Tao of Three
I am the oldest of three children. Girl, Boy, Girl. Shortman is the youngest of three (although he’s an ‘only’ on a daily basis, with the NYO and the TYO in town, there’s 3). Boy, Girl, Boy.
Here are some interesting facts:
- Three is the first odd prime number.
- 3 is the only integer between e and ?.
- Three is the atomic number of Lithium.
- In his later work, Freud proposed that the psyche was divided into three parts: Ego, super-ego, and id.
- There are 3 primary colors - red, blue, and yellow.
- The physical world has 3 dimensions.
- Earth is the 3rd planet from the sun.
- Genies grant 3 wishes.
Here’s a personal observation:
- Three children means that it’s always two against 1.
When we first moved back North, the NYO and TYO would come visit us for school holidays. I’m sure that I got most of my gray hair - at the youngish age of 32 - from one of these visits.
They started playing a game called “Sticks”. People? “Sticks” rules? Um, throwing sticks at someone. Actually, 2 (surprise, surprise) of them throwing sticks at the other 1. Sometimes the boys against the girl. Sometimes the oldest 2 against the youngest. How much fun is that? Well, obviously, it’s great fun when you’re the thrower and not the throweeeeeeee. (The eeee is the sound that that participant makes when the stick actually makes contact with the facial area, especially when blood is drawn).
And then there were the multiple times when all 3 would leave on bikes for the park - and 2 would return. Either their dad or I would take off to go look for the missing kid - while the other would be stuck with the disciplinary hearings going on in the living room. Said discipline (especially if it was the two oldest who only visited once/year and it was their dad, not the evil stepmother who was doing the discipline) lasted approximately 2 minutes, 38 seconds. And it was always fun when Mr. Hot or I would find the missing #3 - once Shortman was actually tied to a tree.
And don’t get me started on the times we took them to the pool. That’s the TYO behind the wall of water.
I know of what I speak - being 1/3 of my own threesome. And things don’t change when you get older. Although I was pretty much a loner who was more than happy to sit with a book or a drawing pad (alone!), when my brother and sister and I were forced to interact (Momanddad didn’t learn the lesson of 3), we (or they) were more than happy to pair off and alienate the shit out of the other one. 32 years later - it’s still so. Although sticks aren’t usually involved, there’s the “secret-keeping-dyad” - she and I know something he doesn’t, or the two of them have a pact that I’m not a part of. At least, when you get to be 44, 42 and 38 respectively, the physical injuries are nearly non-existent!
—- But the mental games can be really fun. I think I’ll send Bro and Sis this article. I’ve been telling them this for years. So there! And I’m the favorite, too! —-
HOT LOVE
I have three kids, and I know what you’re talking about. It’s always, always two against one. And it’s always, always a very LOUD two against one.
I’m the oldest (of two - but I’m adopted, so who knows what else is out there), and the fact that I’m smarter than my brother comes as no great surprise to anyone who knows either of us. Love him, but he’s 41 and still hasn’t found himself yet. Oh, and he married THE biggest bitch in the world and had one delightful daughter and one ill-begotten son from hell.
I enjoy your blog a great deal.
Thanks Cupcake! Some looney-tunes wrote an article about 3 being a great # of kids in a family. Ha!