Laughter is the best medicine

My children argued from morning until night. They fought over a chair even though there were four identical ones at the table. They argued over the couch. “That is my spot.” My daughter is the Christopher Columbus of sectional furniture. She apparently discovered a particular cushion and makes everybody move.

At one point, I was screaming at them to stop screaming. Of course, it was that moment when the doorbell rang. I seriously thought about making everyone hide. Who was at the door and how much did they hear? Then, I realized it was just my parents. There was no need to be embarrassed. They know my house is crazy.

As the day went on my children disagreed over what to watch on TV. In the bathtub, my 5-year-old and 3-year-old argued over the bubbles. “She has more bubbles than me.” I can divide crackers. I can pour juice with more precision and flair than Tom Cruise in “Cocktail.” I cannot evenly disperse bubbles. I walked away from the tub into the adjoining bedroom and waited to see if they could work it out. The next thing I know I heard this:

I stood for what seemed like an eternity listening to them play together. There is no sound more beautiful than your child’s laughter. It is moments like this that make motherhood the most rewarding job on earth. Sure, minutes later, they were bickering about who should get out of the bathtub first. It didn’t phase me. I counted my blessings and kissed them goodnight. Then, I drank a tall glass of wine. I may be blessed, but I had a splitting headache from refereeing all day and needed to unwind. Now, I am relaxed and ready to do it all over again tomorrow.