The 7yr old Dictator

A day doesn’t go by at my house without my 7year old nephew and his 5year old sister fighting over control of the TV remote.

He likes to watch all the macho stuff like Ben 10, Mega XLR, and an occasional Johnny Bravo. She on the other hand watches The Mickey Mouse Club, Hannah Montana and co. Once in a while they’d agree to a truce by watching something like The Suite Life of Zack & Cody together. Aside from that, it’s the Battle for the remote as usual.


Zack & Cody from the Suite Life

My nephew tends to have his way in that regard much more than his sister though. He’d either wake up much earlier (off school days) or get her interested in something else that’ll take up all her attention, then go and assume his position in front of the TV undisturbed. By the time she realizes it, it’s a little too late, cos he’ll just say “But I got here first!!” and not even Aunty Tari can do anything about that one.

So Saturday was no exception. He had reigned in front of the TV like he was Mugabe or Ghaddafi, and my niece had cried and cried, they had fought and argued, but he didn’t move a muscle.



So she gave up and soon came to ask if she could use my computer to play Dress-up, hairdressing and make-up games online. I set it up for her and she soon got lost in her own little paradise.




About an hour later, a knock on the door, nephew peeks in briefly and goes back to assume his throne. 10minutes later, he comes back, this time to tell his sister that they are going to be showing Dino Squad next. She ignores him.

He comes back 15minutes later to announce to her that after Dino Squad its (lists the names of two more cartoons). She doesn’t even acknowledge him with as much as a glance in his direction. He goes away and comes back 10minutes later, this time, a little less enthusiastic. “Lande, don’t you want to come and watch?!”

She stops very briefly, obviously irritated and tells him, “Can’t you see I’m busy?!” I almost felt sorry for him with the way his head dropped and shoulders sagged as he slowly walked out.




Few minutes later, there was a commotion outside; I rushed to see what the problem was. In his loneliness, Bade had chosen to go and have a fight with one of the maids. He was obviously just seeking attention from anywhere he could get it. I ignored him.

He soon went into one of the worst tantrums ever and everyone just ignored him. My traitorous heart felt sorry for him after a while and I knew I had to try to give him what he truly wanted- his sister.

I begged her to please come back and finish her game later, and go and play with her brother instead. She sulkily went off to meet him. I’ve never seen a tantrum throwing child switch that fast. In less than ten seconds he had stopped crying and whining, and now had Lande’s hand firmly in his and was following her everywhere.

I shook my head in amazement. No matter how hard we human beings, apparently even kids, go after those things we pursue every day, even if and when we do attain them, they can never satisfy that need in our hearts that can only be filled by the love for those in our lives.

Nigerian artiste, 9ice couldn’t have said it better in his track ‘Little Money’.