Family Power Hour

Chapter eight deals with generations and the way they also compete, even within a family. For example a mother needs to feed her children, but also herself, and she needs to know that they are all getting equal chances of her survival, so her genes within them have equal chances of survival. However children want to get more resources than their siblings to their specific genes can survive better. Therefore parents have to compete not only with other parents and their environment but also with their children’s occasional treachery. Not only that, but occasionally it is better for them to have favorites, or to keep a runt from feeding in order to better invest her resources. A favorite is likelier to grow and continue to ensure the survival of her genes, while a runt, who is unlikely to survive, will just take away the resources of children who have better chances of surviving and safeguarding her genes. Likewise, a child’s best option is to lie cheat and pull every dirty trick to try to survive, though Dawkins’ encourages parents to keep their kids from this.