Stool Pigeon

From upstairs, I heard that sound every parent dreads. The I’m-so-hurt-not-a-lot-of-sound-comes-out cry. As I fought to get over the baby gate, I was met by Addison hip-carrying a distraught Scarlett down the stairs. While I tried to figure out what had happened, Addison claimed she had “no idea” why Scarlett was so upset. Which might have worked except for one thing: Scarlett reaching enough verbal maturity to rat mean big sisters out. As Addison continued to feign mystification, Scarlett pointed to her sister, with a finger still bearing the telltale red welt of being recently pinched, bellowed “Her hurt me!” and began relating a story of little sisters wanting to get into places big sisters didn’t want them and the painful results. Miraculously, just then Addison regained enough memory to admit that she might have “accidentally shut the door on Scarlett’s hand.” Coming on the heels of an afternoon of bickering over babies being allowed to do anything they want, the accidental component of Addison’s story rang a bit hollow. And so it goes for little siblings everywhere. It’s nice to be the baby and get all that attention, but you take some abuse. In families, the proverbial you-know-what rolls you-know-where--and the shortest ones are at the bottom of the sibling hill. In Kathleen N. Daly’s Little Sister, Liz feels cheated when big brother David ditches her for the older kids but realizes he still loves her when he comes to her rescue. I guess blood is thicker than squabbles.

http://www.amazon.com/Little-Sister-Big-Golden-Books/dp/0307682560

http://www.librarything.com/author/dalykathleenn