Story of the Goldfish

Let's face it. Sometimes divorce is cruel, so it helps to find a little humor in the midst of emotional turmoil. Here's where I found relief (in humorous moments with my kids):

Lindsey was around 4 years old when we bought our one and only goldfish. From the day we got that little goldfish, we discovered that he was never truly meant to live in a bowl.

Yes, like me, our little fish was a free spirit. He thought he was a bird. Or perhaps he was on a suicide mission, because we frequently found him (could have been a her) jumping out of the bowl.

Sadly, not long after we got our little goldfish, it, like so many of its relatives, died.

In explaining the death of her goldfish to a friend, Lindsey said, "He took one look at my dad, jumped out of the bowl, and died."

I often thought about that comment whenever he insulted me.

Keeping a Straight Face When Kids are Too Funny

Sometimes we can't help ourselves. Our kids do something so funny, we HAVE to laugh. Often we try not to.

Case in point (from a baby's point of view):

OK, I'm getting up. I've almost got it. Balancing is hard, but I'm really working on it. Almost. Almost. I'm up! Take a step. Just one. I DID IT! Then BAM! Down to the floor I go. Look at them. All of them. Laughing at me. After I've worked so hard to be upright.

Yes, that's where it starts. Of course, some children are a little more sensitive than others, but we are the parents so we try to make ourselves aware of our children's sensitivities.

Except when we can't help ourselves. Our children bring home pictures of angels that look like something out of a horror film or they spell words in ways that would have Webster shrieking with pain. We bite our lips.

And then, every once in a while, maybe on a full moon, or maybe just because, we cannot help ourselves and cry from laughing so hard at something our children have done or said that when we see the look of confusion spread across their faces, we laugh all the more, because even THAT is funny.

Now the tears are flowing and we can't stop ourselves. The laughter seems to have an energy all its own, exploding out of us like lava.

Until we see the pained expression in our children's faces. We have to pull ourselves together and say something that lets them know we're not exactly laughing AT them, but BECAUSE of them, and NOT in a mean way, but in a LOVING way, so we say something like, "I am just so happy that you are my son (or daughter) that sometimes I have to laugh really hard, because I'm THAT happy!" We hug them tightly and tell them we love them soooooo much. And if we're lucky and they believe us, all is forgiven.

The picture above was drawn by my youngest daughter when she was in first grade. The Little Mermaid was my favorite cartoon movie, so she drew my fayfrit cortone just for me.