When I was 10, I made the decision that our family needed to vote for a president. I'm guessing this idea came from a combination of learning about the government at school along with being the first born (which gives me a natural desire to control others and be bossy, of course).
Someone needed to run family meetings and I was perfect for the job; although, the Adams family president would really just be a pawn of the monarchy (mom and dad). In my 10-year-old power-hunger mind, this is how I would really get to control my younger sister and make her do everything I wanted her to do. Being the "family president" would be the unbeatable trump card and she would be forced to give in.
They were excellent parents, so they sniffed out my ulterior motives for this vote. My dad felt bad for my sister (who wouldn't?, I was a dictator) and voted for her, hoping my mom had voted for me, resulting in a tie and everyone could just walk away, no feelings hurt.
Not the way it worked out. My sister won because my mom had thought the very same thing. In defeat, I saw all my power melting away. Now I would have to be the one to give in to my younger sibling's every whim. So I stormed off and never spoke of a family vote again.
Moral of the story: If any of your children ever suggest voting for a family president, suggest everyone go for ice cream instead.
#winning
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