A silver cloud

Dontcha hate being around Pollyannas who always find the silver lining to every cloud? I mean, sometimes things (Hurricane Katrina, PMS, Jersey Shore) are just horrible and we as a people just need to revel in it. But as much as Chipper Charlies get under my skin, I am FAR more worn out by persistent Eeyores. Surrounded  by a sky of silver clouds, they manage to identify every imagined grey lining.

You may want to smack her....

... but at least she's not HIM!

Sometimes I think I might be related to on of these Grey Lining Finders.

But, I take solace in knowing I am not alone.

I had a nice chat my sister Heidi last night. We were both in the middle of making dinner and juggling children and I'm sure we had a total of 4 complete, uninterrupted sentences. The great thing about talking to another mom around 5:30PM is that you both have pretty much had it up to "here" and if you had your 'druthers, you'd be far, far away from the kitchen and the bitchin' (ha!) that are your destiny. So, amidst correcting errant behavior of small people and waiting for inspiration about how to turn the boiling water in your pot into something resembling dinner, you compare notes.

• Mine told off the custodian at school.
• Mine drew a picture of himself murdering the sweet main character of his teacher's read aloud book.
• Mine won't eat anything except chocolate milk and Tostitos. 
• Mine won't stop touching his crotch.
• Mine frustrated me so much that I screamed, "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? DO YOU NEED TO GO ON MEDICATION???"
• Mine used my credit card to call in a donation to Bachmann's campaign.....

Historically, my sister has been a little bit competitive in a lot of arenas. Somehow when we compare notes on how our kids are making us bonkers, neither of us are compelled to come out the winner. What we do find ourselves doing is the universal (I think) sigh of relief: "Thank God, she feels like she's raising a pack of unhappy, easily offended maniacs, too!"

There is safety (and comfort) in collective failures. We look to each other for compassionate "holy crap!"s and "mine did the exact same thing!"s. We puzzle at (some of ) our children's ability to find the fastest route to being angry, offended, or miserable.


Of course the one point Heidi and I can always go back to is this: We (she & I ) are clearly joyful, giving and vivacious people, so the blame for any blotches on children's personalities can squarely be placed upon a single source: Their fathers.