The herd mentality

We see the laws of the animal kingdom demonstrated daily in this suburban jungle.

Tweenie and friends have a clique they call the "Cheetah Team". This is no relation to the popular Cheetah Girls movies. Instead, it consists of an alpha girl bossing around 4 others ponytail-sporting subordinates and an omega dude (who I think has a crush on my daughter, which is the only reason he's there).

Tweenie is decidedly down the pecking order, owing to her natural "let's all get along" temperament. Many times I have been concerned that she does not assert herself but she reasons it all away, saying:

"Oh, K lets me do whatever I want, as long as I ask her first."

She believes that if she leaves the Cheetah Team she'll be doomed to have no friends all year. The Law of the Jungle is, apparently, obey without question or you're stuck with the girl who eats erasers.

Rascal is Head of the House here, and asserts his authority acknowledged or not. He is, after all, a very scary wowoff.

Kye is his deputy. Everything he does has first been demonstrated by Rascal and all completed according to big brother's approval. This most recently includes a certain daredevil stunt.

***

I made a Starbucks run yesterday. As we left, I caught our reflection in the large windows. Mama Duck - latté in hand, Reebok track pants and T, highlited mane in a ponytail with big sunglasses perched on top - followed by one, two, three little ducklings in a row.