Why parents are twitchy

[dalesys]

The Great Last Names thread in General Work chat redisminded me of this.

As Cos says: (peripatetically phrased)
You have one child and it's so sweet and cute you have another one. And two are only a tiny bit more than one, so you think "This is easy!" and have another.

This is where it breaks down, as you discover all the different ways two can gang up on one (or one on two), including several forbidden by quantum physics.

In a panic, you produce a fourth, "To even things up." ... and you discover you and the wife are outnumbered.

I'm the oldest of 10, and this is why our parents are still twitching 35 years later. The younger four bothers conspired against them., by choosing new names.
#6, Daffy, became "Nobody/Nothing"
#7, Rippy, became "Somebody/Something"
#8, Stroppy, became "Everybody/Everything"
#9, 'Anana, bing a dear sweet girl (Hah!) opted out
#10, Yawn, became "Anybody/Anything"

So when mom said "If everybody would pick something up, the house would be clean!", Daffy would say: "But Stroppy's in school, and anyway, Rippy's here."

They then tagged Mom and Dad as "You" and "Who" to complete the mindbakefest.

[LillFilly]

Hee, this just reminded me of when I would call "MOM!" One too many times and mom would shout back "I changed my name, it isn't mom anymore!"

[Jester]

My mom had three kids. She always said it was four too many.

In all seriousness, my parents, having gone almost ten years after they were married without having kids--not, I should point out, the most common thing in the late Fifties/early Sixties--had my sister. Four years later they had me. The had a boy, they had a girl, they were happy.

My little sister is sixteen months younger than me. She was a surprise.