Claire Dunn: Will my sons be pals, or be Noel and Liam

More often than not, the eldest will ignore the little one when there's football on the box and refuse to play with him. So I think he's changed tactics in a bid to gain his older sibling's attention.

It hasn't worked.

Neither did kicking him in the shins, waving a foam knight's sword in his face, although his little jig in front of the telly did prompt a momentary side shuffle on the sofa.

Football aside, my boys genuinely appear to enjoy each other's company. Not always the case when there's an age gap of four years.

Yes, the walls rattle and the roof of the house is almost blasted off into outer space when they clash and war is declared. This is usually caused by the little one destroying something belonging to the elder, or the elder refusing to put on CBeebies.

But during peacetime, they really do enjoy playing Lego or other games together. They can often be found whiling away the hours in their bedrooms playing knights and dragons together, dressing up and chasing each other around the house.

And in the garden, hunts for worms and other creepy crawlies can go on quietly for hours as they bid to find the longest or the biggest insect.

But will it always be like this?

I often wonder what kind of brothers they will be and what kind of relationship they will have when they grow up and leave home. Sob.

Will they get on? Will they be close? Will they help each other out? Goodness, will they even like each other? I think every parent hopes that special bond formed in childhood will be there for a lifetime.

Out there in the celeb world, bands of brothers have long been making a name for themselves.

Princes William and Harry appear to share a great relationship and often put on a united front for the world's press. In interviews there is always some gentle banter between them which reveals a close bond. Harry was also best man when Wills wed Kate. I'd love my boys to be close like that.

On the other side of the coin, they could turn out more like Oasis's Noel and Liam. One minute the team at the heart of a successful unit, the next men at war. I'm hoping that's not a definite maybe.

If I asked them what they would like to do together when they're older, the eldest would certainly say he'd want them to be famous footballers.

Will they play together in the same team, wearing the same shirt, like Phil and Gary Neville? Although they played for Man U, which is a definite no-no in my house.

Or maybe they could be like the most famous footballing brothers of all time, Bobby and Jack Charlton, who played together for their country?

However, while my eldest son can kick a mean shot, I really can't see the little one joining his brother at playing footie on any team, at any age.

But if they do, for mine and my husband's sake, I do hope they are both are on the same team. Life would very painful indeed if they weren't.

Oh brother.