To the Victor Goes the Spoils

Growing up with an older sister and a younger brother, trips in the car resulted in a battle for the front seat. My mother (the driver) usually settled the "Shotgun" arguments by claiming the eldest child receives the privilege of the front seat. Of course, when my older sister wasn't around, mom's rule was reneged and the new rule was the youngest kid gets the front seat. Being the middle kid, I was forever in the back seat. I ultimately won out because my siblings eventual moved away. I did too, but I moved back (on three different occasions, but those are stories for another time) and had the front seat all the time.

Now that I have two teenagers, the battle continues. Having played "Shotgun" for way too many years, I let my kids fight it out. When the looser starts in with "Hey, that's not fair." I reply with, "You snooze, you loose." I show no pity and no mercy. Although, I have implemented the rule that both competitors must be outside of the house/building to call "shotgun". I didn't realized there was a more elaborate rule system in place. Then, I visited this guy. I have previously mention Dead Serious - A Healthy Fear of Botulism when I commented on athletes with too much money. He linked to ShotgunGuide-Official Rules for Calling Shotgun. I have to say, I'm impressed and will definitely have to read up on the official rules. Personally, I'm partial to the Survival of the Fittest Rules (a.k.a. The Bastard Rules). I coulda been riding in the front seat all along.