Stop the Insanity

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090422/ap_on_re_us/us_fed_up_mom;_ylt=AlX0B6fzoXSf1tFkONazZzcDW7oF

Ok, I would never do this but who wouldn't show up in court for this woman to say, "I've thought about it."

It's like a baby crying - it has this sort of dual effect - you have this overwhelming sympathy and concern and somewhere on a lower, baser track in your brain you just want to get it to stop. After months of little sleep and this crying that has no explanation (you go through your litany, wet? no. hungry? been fed. tired? just woke up.) and you find yourself thinking, "What?" to your baby. What in the world have you got to cry about?!

It's the same with the bickering. God! It's awful. My kids have this way of saying each others names in disgust that might as well be a screeching sound or nails on a chalkboard. "Wilbuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrr!!!!!" "Emeryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!"

It's terrifying.

And in the car it's always the worst. They want to bring a book a toy a lego guy a whatever in the car, even though we have a rule about no toys in the car. But I'm late, we need to get to school, I sigh, "Whatever! Fine! Bring a lego guy, bring 10 lego guys, let's just go!" Then in the car they fight over the LEGO GUYS! It's insanity. Absolute insanity.

So, would I pull the car over and say 'get out'? No, but I can imagine this poor woman. Gripping the steering wheel, trying to drive, she keeps calmly reinforcing to her children that they must stop fighting. And then, if you don't stop fighting I'm going to pull this car over and leave you wherever we are to duke it out. And suddenly in her head, as the incessant bickering continues over some bullshit that the children don't actually even CARE about it occurs to her to just do it. The little devil says, "you told them. You said if they didn't stop. Follow through for once in your life. Do it!"