A-HA! I get it. Took me long enough.
When we visited the kids at the orphanage we saw that for each meal, one child would be designated the official helper, fitted with an apron, and given duties. This was a highly coveted designation. Garbanzo was in tears one day as our visit preempted his turn.
So, flash forward to the present. This morning I had him helping me clean out the fridge. All the sudden he is a) authoritatively answering question Chickadee has asked of me b) speaking to me in a bossy-pants tone and c) generally bossing his sister around.
We see this pattern ALL THE TIME. Give Garbanzo a small responsibility and he will promote himself to Lord of the Manor. It drives us nuts.
Duh.
In the orphanage, the 'helper' role came with Lord of the Manor privileges, at least amongst the other children. I can imagine that all those weary middle-aged care-givers didn't really mind him taking over either. After all, it wasn't their kitchen. Their kitchens awaited them at home at the end of their shift.
So, here we have -- once again -- an understanding of how he has come by this pattern, but not much of a clue on how to break down the pattern, other than (and this is what I do) working elbow-to-elbow with him and stating over-and-over "That is not your part." "That is not appropriate." and "You are not in charge."
