“I’m stuck like a fly in aspic in my own phase”

WE CAN reinvent ourselves for others as we move through our lives, but somehow or other with our siblings, we’re often stuck; in phases we’d rather forget.

For instance, my four siblings and I have never really allowed my 42-year-old sister to forget the phase in which she used to turn off taps 16 times, check the door locks 20 times, say her prayers five times and had to be reassured that we weren’t all going to die 10 times, before she could take herself off to bed at night, aged seven. The fact that she’s shown every sign of completely healthy emotional function for her entire life since the tap-turning business doesn’t seem to mitigate our view — or stop us from reminding her now and again — that she’s a bit of a nut-job, underneath it all.

The principle of not letting your siblings outgrow childhood phases works in reverse too; I’m stuck like a fly in aspic in my very own phase, of my sister’s choosing.