Big Brother

I think as a parent you instinctively try to give your kid the same kind of experience as you had growing up; and it's kind of disconcerting when you realize you can't.

For Mini Militant, this means growing up in suburban New Jersey rather than the countryside of Hampshire, and being surrounded by roads and parks rather than sheep and German Shepherds.

But there are more significant differences as well. For example, Mini Militant is now a big brother. That's something I've never been, and it's pretty weird to think that Mini's whole outlook on life will be colored by that.

In that respect, I understand Micro Militant's situation a lot more - just as I was, he's the little ginger kid with the big brother. I wonder how that's going to pan out for him. I'll admit that I hero-worshiped my older brother growing up - he with the Bon Jovi hair and the tassly leather jacket that smelled of cigarettes and sweat - and still look up to him this day. We're starkly different people with different experiences and different values, but there's so much about him I respect and admire and love.

It's weird to think that Mini Militant will be that figure for Micro Militant; and in that respect, there's an aspect to his life that I've already no way of understanding. It's just further proof of probably the most surprising but inevitable part of becoming a parent is the realization that your kids are individuals in their own right - and not just extensions of yourself.