What do you do with the last portion?

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When I was growing up my mother was always careful to share anything out fairly. I’m not sure whether this was because she felt hard-done-by as a child, but anyway any treats would be scrupulously shared out between the three of us (even though I was an only child). In those days having just one child was far less common, and there was a misconception that only children were spoiled and selfish. I was often told (by my peers) that I must be selfish, and I started to believe it. So then at university, I was taken aback by the behaviour of my first ‘proper’ boyfriend. If there was one chocolate left in a box for example, he would gallantly say ‘You have it’ and I would say ‘No, you have it’ – expecting that we would then cut it in half so we could both have some. But no, he would just say ‘Oh OK then' and eat it! And he had a sister so I was expecting to witness this legendary unselfish behaviour. I quickly realised that people who have grown up with siblings are far more likely to selfishly grab whatever they can get before the others get it! Now my family laugh at the way I always share things out. If there is one slice of cake left between me and my partner, he will ask if I want it and of course I will cut it in half. What do you do with the last slice? All rights reserved. © Text copyright Fleur 2023.