the chicken's wing

it has come to my attention, with personal disappointment, that mothers unanimously eat the wing or wings of a roast chook dinner. this is one of numerous examples of mothers putting their preferences, desires and even needs second to their families, particularly their children's.

as i was home yesterday afternoon and suspiciously had the time to get a chicken roasting that's what was on the menu last night. i remember when at my parents home a roast chicken appeared on the dining table my brother got the leg (or both legs as he grew up), my father and i divvied up the breast meat and mum got stuck with the wings. last night percy got the breast meat, paul was too sick to eat and yet i still, voluntarily (!) took a wing. which meant the remaining carcass was largely intact as percy doesn't eat enough to sustain a bird (pun slightly intended) and i filled up on vegies. this is probably a good thing as the more vegies for me the better.

i've read many articles about the second-place-getting of mothers, generally self-imposed. my example here is a light-hearted one, there are more serious cases particularly in situations of poverty or abuse. surely we all recognise that a healthy, happy mother contributes more to the well being of her family than anything else? i'm also pondering the australian governments' seeming back off from a national paid maternity leave scheme. i understand some of the intricacies of such a scheme and the difficulty that might be experienced by small employers, i still think it's immensely worthwhile and necessary.

i should make clear that i'm not a second-place getter in our family. if anything paul places me and insists i take first place more often than not. i think in general we three are equals. i just can't help boosting percy ahead of me! i think it's primal and instinctive.