Hashtag Abi

As a species, we seem to have an irresistible urge for classifying and pigeon-holing. And while this is very good for our development as scientists, it's very limiting when it comes to people. We seem to enjoy thumbnail sketches of people and then expect them to fit exactly within that outline.

Back when I had a TV, most of my favourite shows were character-based and the more complex the characterisation the better. You can look at the writing in, say, 'The West Wing', 'Friends', and 'Frasier', and find characters who remain consistent and true to their role without being predictable. In real life, it's wrong to expect people to behave consistently with an idea we have of them. And how boring would it be if they did?

Sometimes we can be guilty of this with our children, too. Abi's mum, Hannelie, and I always had Abi down as the quiet, shy one, and there was, indeed some truth in that. I still remember the parents' evening when we sat awkwardly on small plastic chairs and looked at one another in mild confusion as the teacher opened with "Well, of course, Abi is the class comedian."

That trait which apparently manifested itself amongst her peers has since become very evident at home, too. She's quick, sharp and a also little wicked. 

This evening, Dean came up to visit from Blackpool, where he's house-sitting for some friends. Naturally we went for a curry and over poppadoms, for reasons I can't quite remember, the conversation turned to Dan's obsession with Ben 10 when he was maybe six or seven years old. He was scornful of our efforts to recall the original 10 aliens and funny about his own passion for the TV series, in which a young boy could transform into any one of 10 aliens.

"Actually" I said "I always preferred Ben Tench, although he could only turn into a fish". Abi's eyes lit up at this entry into one of our favourite games. She rapidly came up with Ben Tenerife (goes on holiday a lot), Ben Tension (uses a stress ball) and Ben Tent (likes camping). On paper it might not sound like much of a game but when you're sat 'round a table all trying to come up with the next pun, it's good fun.

As Dean pointed out, she'll be a natural for hashtag games on Twitter, although I must admit that the idea of Dan or Abi venturing into that increasingly toxic environment, made me feel momentarily nauseous. On the other hand, without Twitter I wouldn't have met Dean or, indeed, the Minx and many other friends, so it's not all bad. Perhaps social media has become another life skill to be mastered.

Still, that wasn't an immediate worry as we enjoyed our curry and the simple pleasure of being in the company of people you love.