"I Won!"

These two small words can wreak havoc in our house, especially if one party thinks that something is a race and doesn't inform the other until the 'finishing line'. Anisa in particular is specifically devastated and upset to hear that she hasn't "won" something (like being the first one to put their shoes on) and is famous for the faces she pulls as a result. Ruhiyyih, though equally displeased, is far less dramatic. The initial irritation can often escalate at a surprisingly rapid rate, especially considering the fact that we are often talking about simple things like shoes, cornflakes and cutlery.

This evening at dinner we had a delightful turn of events. What started out as a potentially problematic debate over who had finished their broccoli first and showed all signs of spiralling out of control, as both claimed to have won, ("I won!" "No! I won!" "No! I won!" you see where I'm going) was quickly solved by Bayan parroting in a chipper little voice "I won". He was so perfectly gorgeous and charming that all previous claims to winning were instantly forgotten. Now every time the girls start it again Bayan pipes up with his own perspective on things and gently, happily and enthusiastically reminds them that he won.