Territorial claim - childhood rituals

[Marion]

I was at something at the weekend and I couldn't believe that I used an old childhood territorial claim to a chair in which I was sitting.

I presume most households are similar in that there is a favoured chair - either in front of the TV or the fire or wherever.

In order to secure your possession of the prized chair/seating position, you had to say "I bags it" if you had to leave for a short while and you also had to touch the seat of the chair/couch with your hand.

Failure to do this meant that you lost possession of the prized chair or seating position. In our family it was crucial to be vigilant to the code of honour. Everybody respected it. Even if your baggsed the chair, failure to touch the seat of the chair with your hand was catastrophic for the rest of the film or whatever. Tough luck! Children are cruel. They respect the laws they make or ones that they decide to adopt.

Did anyone else follow this ritual? Were there, or are there, any other rituals followed by families that are respected by all?

Marion

 

[Vanilla]

In our family it was crucial to be vigilant to the code of honour. Everybody respected it.

Code of honour? Ah hahaha...

In our family the only code was survival of the fittest ( aka biggest therefore strongest). Otherwise native cunning might help. I have to laugh at the 'I bags it'- in our house, if you attempted something like that, after a brief interlude of hilarity, you would simply be picked up and thrown from the seat.

 

[becky]

There was 5 us close in age and we were allowed to use the good room to watch telly. There were 2 comfy armchairs and the rule 'you left the room' meant you lost rights to the chair. Same rule with the remote.

Both rules were always obeyed without question. The problem was the scum tackles every 15 minutes when someone did leave the room.

 

[Sue Ellen]

Two brothers, no sister to back me up, survival of the fittest and either way the dog always took the best seat because he was everyone's favourite

 

[terrysgirl33]

I was at something at the weekend and I couldn't believe that I used an old childhood territorial claim to a chair in which I was sitting.

I presume most households are similar in that there is a favoured chair - either in front of the TV or the fire or wherever.

In order to secure your possession of the prized chair/seating position, you had to say "I bags it" if you had to leave for a short while and you also had to touch the seat of the chair/couch with your hand.

Failure to do this meant that you lost possession of the prized chair or seating position. In our family it was crucial to be vigilant to the code of honour. Everybody respected it. Even if your baggsed the chair, failure to touch the seat of the chair with your hand was catastrophic for the rest of the film or whatever. Tough luck! Children are cruel. They respect the laws they make or ones that they decide to adopt.


Did anyone else follow this ritual? Were there, or are there, any other rituals followed by families that are respected by all?

Marion

That sounds something like what we did (though the details are now lost). The problem was when we had cousins staying over who followed the rules Vanilla is talking about...

 

[ney001]

Ha me and my husband do this all the time except with us it's usually bagsey not doing something. Example: Other night the cat litter tray had to be emptied, I was the first one to shout 'Bagsey not doing' and so put my feet up and had a cup of tea while himself went out the back in the wind and rain to clean the litter tray.

In my parent's house there are two sofas, whoever sits on the one nearest the tv controls the remote - just always been the way!

When it comes to locking up at night it's warfare between me and himself. Basically around 11 O'Clock you start edging towards the stairs - first one with foot on stairs shouts 'not locking up' and heads off up to bed whilst other locks doors, puts dogs into bed etc - can get rough though, often ended up in a wrestling match to keep the other from the foot of the stairs! never actually thought about it until I saw Marions post!

 

[Sue Ellen]

Ha me and my husband do this all the time except with us it's usually bagsey not doing something. Example: Other night the cat litter tray had to be emptied, I was the first one to shout 'Bagsey not doing' and so put my feet up and had a cup of tea while himself went out the back in the wind and rain to clean the litter tray.

In my parent's house there are two sofas, whoever sits on the one nearest the tv controls the remote - just always been the way!

When it comes to locking up at night it's warfare between me and himself. Basically around 11 O'Clock you start edging towards the stairs - first one with foot on stairs shouts 'not locking up' and heads off up to bed whilst other locks doors, puts dogs into bed etc - can get rough though, often ended up in a wrestling match to keep the other from the foot of the stairs! never actually thought about it until I saw Marions post!

and you two are, eh, how old?