Free The World's Worst Mothers by Sabine Ludwig

Nicholas, but he looked so miserable now that she said, ‘Oh look, here’s another bit that I never saw before. It says: Give Nicholas a kiss from me.’
    Nicholas turned a tear-stained and dirt-smeared cheek towards her. Sophie hesitated for a moment, and then she bent down and gave him a quick kiss.
    â€˜You have to kiss me properly,’ said Nicholas. ‘It has to smack, like this.’ Nicholas made a loud smacking sound with his tongue.
    â€˜Wash your face first, and then we’ll see,’ said Sophie.
    â€˜You’re so mean!’ Nicholas stomped out of the room.
    Sophie was about to write to Dragon Monster to tell him what songs she’d just bought, which ones she wanted to buy and which ones she was not sure if she should buy or not, when Nicholas reappeared. With a clean face this time.
    â€˜Will you kiss me now?’ he asked.
    At that moment, Aunt Anna came into the room. ‘You shouldn’t be disturbing your sister. Out you go!’
    â€˜But Sofa is supposed to give me a kiss. Mama said so, look!’ He reached the card with the seagull out to Aunt Anna.
    â€˜Your mum’s gone to a health farm and she’s very well,’ said Aunt Anna. ‘Come on, now.’
    She took Nicholas and dragged him, screaming, out of the room.
    Sophie almost had a guilty conscience. But after all, it was only fair that for once things were not going Nicholas’s way.
    The next day, Aunt Anna went a bit too far.
    Nicholas usually got a sticky, sweet cereal with milk for breakfast.
    â€˜It doesn’t taste nice,’ he said, pushing the bowl away.
    George, who was in an awful hurry, knocked over a cup of coffee as he stood up, looking at the clock.
    â€˜What doesn’t taste nice?’
    â€˜Those aren’t Honey-Bunnies. It tastes terrible.’
    Sophie looked into Nicholas’s bowl and nearly burst out laughing.
    â€˜It’s Lulu’s cat crunchies. Aunt Anna, what have you done?’
    Aunt Anna, who, as usual, was not sitting with them at the table, but was bustling around the kitchen in an apron, armed with a dishcloth, pulled a packet off cat food off the shelf and said, ‘Nicholas always has this, and Sophie and George have that.’ She pointed at a packet of sliced bread.
    â€˜I have to go,’ said George. ‘Will you please explain to Anna the difference between cat food and child food.’
    Aunt Anna was still standing smiling with the packet of cat food in her hand. Sophie stood up and took it out of her hand.
    â€˜This is for Lulu, and this,’ she pointed at the Honey-Bunnies, ‘this is for Nicholas.’
    She spoke as if she were talking to an illiterate person. Which Aunt Anna was not – she could read. On the first evening, she’d read aloud to Nicholas. Even if it was in an extraordinary monotone. Nicholas didn’t want to be read to by her after that. He found her voice ‘creepy’.
    When George had no time – and he often had no time – Sophie had to read to Nicholas. And it wasn’t nearly as bad as she thought it would be. When you read to him, Nicholas was very quiet. He didn’t fidget, he didn’t whine, he snuggled into Sophie, he sucked his security blanket and just listened.
    Now he was sitting at the kitchen table with his arms pressed close to him, staring darkly into his bowl. Sophie took it away and put it down for Lulu, who went at it with a lot of slurping.
    â€˜When you were very small, you used to swipe the crunchies out of Lulu’s bowl. You used to like them,’ said Sophie.
    â€˜But I’m not small now,’ said Nicholas crossly.
    â€˜You are a little boy and you must be good and do what your big sister says,’ warbled Aunt Anna.
    Even Sophie thought that was a bit much.
    â€˜Come on, Nicholas,’ she said. ‘I don’t have to be in school until the second lesson. I can take you to school first.’
    She stood up from the