I am an oldest child.
My brother is 17 months younger than I am, so I was the one who experienced many of the firsts in siblings lives.
First to go to kindergarten, elementary, junior and high school.
First to go to university.
The first to experience the effects of over-imbibing.
The first to hit the garage while driving my mother's car, without a licence.
Etc, etc.
Being the oldest, however, had its benefits.
For example, turning 19 first.
Drinking.
Partying.
I did them first, and from what I can remember, did both a lot more than my brother.
But I could be wrong.
Mer was first among my children, then Keith and last but never least, Bunny.
There are 4 years between Mer and Em; almost three between Keith and Em.
All was well and good when they were younger.
When we did things, they were things all the kids enjoyed doing.
The movies were always a safe bet, and have, over the years, provided the fodder for many Mer-Keith-Em stories.
Mer was always opted for any film where girls eventually kissed the boy.
Keith was drawn to comic book/tv shows-turned-into-films.
He was practically apoplectic when Pokemon: Mew Two came to the big screen. The first time we tried to see it, it was sold out.
Of course, this reduced Keith to tears, and rather than me dealing with it, I made the manager of the theater come out and explain to my bawling 6 year old why he couldn't see the film.
And then he gave free tickets for the next show.
Emily loved Disney. Her first film, ever, was The Lion King.
As soon as we were seated, and it was all quiet in the theater, Emily yells out, "Mum! The tv here isn't on. Where's the remote!!!!!!!!!!"
Keith was in awe after seeing the Star Wars trilogy. He didn't understand that the movies had been out for 20 years.
After the movie, we are walking through the mall and see my brother.
Keith, with all the excitement of a little boy who has just watched all the Star Wars movies, runs towards my brother, and breathless, exclaims,
"UNCLE! Did you know Darth Vader is Luke and Leia's father!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
My brother fought to not burst out laughing. Instead he kneeled down to Keith saying, "Really Pookie!"
During one of Grandma's visits from Ontario, we took the kids to see Titanic.
Its one of emotional scenes in the film. All is silent throughout the theater.
Keith YELLS, "GRAMMA, WHEN IS THE BOAT GONNA SINK!"
Meredyth and I saw Superstar.
The next, during church (there was a period when we regularly attended church. I wasn't taking any chances!), Mer bows her head during one of the "now we will pray" moments, and at the end of the prayer, raises her head and her hands and yells out "Superstar!"
Very quickly, going to a family movie turned into Mum-sees-whatever-Em-wants-to-see-and-Mer-and-Keith-see-whatever-they-want-to-see.
I should have had the intellectual fortitude to realize that the movie battle was merely a precursor of things to come.
Now that the kids are older, I'd be happy to deal with movie issues.
Cause the ones we're facing now are a lot harder to mediate.
Mer's coming home has thrown into sharp relief just how much of a difference 4 years can make.
She and Keith are able to do things that Emily can't.
Tonight, at the UNB Student Union Building, there is a concert.
Marianna's Trench.
All of my children like Marianna's Trench.
But not all of my children can go to the concert.
Mer is going.
Keith is going.
Tim, the best friend and boyfriend, is going.
Rossco, another best friend, is going.
Emily, the biggest Marianna's Trench fan in our house. . . .is not going.
Me, I like Marianna's Trench and was willing to tolerate a hoard of inebriated university students, and potentially my own inebriated children, to see the concert.
But if Emily isn't going, I'm not going.
I couldn't live with myself.
And I'd have to spend the rest of my life sleeping with one eye open.
Or at least until Emily moves out of the house.
Naturally, Em is more than a little upset that she isn't going.
The concert is wet/dry, and there will be first year university students attending.
Even though they are under age.
But Em, while under age, does not meet the most critical criteria: she is not a first year university student.
I have tried to think of some way to get her in, but short of a fake id (and the idea did cross my mind), sneaking her in, or something else, but nothing seemed plausible.
I even thought of just throwing myself at the mercy of whoever was at the door, crying, begging, pleading, offering my first born child in return for Emily being able to attend the concert.
Intellectually, Emily understands why she can't go to this concert.
Emotionally. . . .well, that's a whole other ball of wax.
Right now she's upstairs, playing a video game that involves the Simpsons.
Soon, she'll switch to killing Zombies.
Rather the Zombies than me.
Title Lyric: Masterpeice Theater III by Marianna's Trench
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