Tons of Things

Yesterday was a great day - one of those days that I will remember for a long time. Nothing major happened, no earth shattering moments... We went to the drive-in as a family and had a really, really good time.

Everyone got along - no fighting, no name-calling, no sulking - and dare I say it, everyone LIKED each other. Not that we don't all love each other, but the bottom line is that we have a 12, 13, and 16 year-old. Sometimes liking each other is much harder than loving each other.

The teen years are just as emotional and painful as when I went through them, and watching my three interact on a daily basis can make my ulcer flare up. The belittling, the name-calling, the rapid emotional mood-swings... Just a barrel full of fun...

But last night was a mini-utopia. There was good-natured teasing, sharing of snacks and stories, and laughter. Lots of laughter. It started with Cameron saying that he had read my last blog entry. I asked if he liked it, and he said yes, but not the part where I talked about him. I asked if I was wrong and he said, "Not really, but still..." I started giving examples of where Cameron had done some of the things I wrote about and that opened up the door to the past for all of us.

We sat there, waiting for the movie to begin, swapping stories from when they were younger. I grabbed a piece of paper to write down some of them to remember for later. The kids kept adding to my list. And the more we remembered, the more we laughed.

It was after we were packed up and heading home when the funniest thing of the night happened. I am not sure how it came about, something about 2-D and 3-D animation that Emma have gotten mixed up, that Cameron said to her, "What is wrong with you?"

Emma replied, "I don't know. Tons of things!"

We all fell apart. (I am honestly amazed that I was able to continue driving.) We decided right then and there that this was a phrase worth keeping.

It wasn't until this morning that I realized how fabulously truthful her answer was. Every single one of us has tons of things that are wrong with us. If I were to start my list right now it would look like this:
1. Overweight
2. Bite my nails
3. Hate cleaning - anything
4. Prefer opening a can of something to microwave rather than cook from scratch
5. Use way too many inappropriate words when I am upset
6. Cry at the drop of a hat
7. Think that "The Goonies" was one of the best movies ever made

I could go on and on... But couldn't we all? I think that accepting we are flawed makes life a little easier to muddle through on a daily basis. And the good news - We all have tons of things that are "right" with us too! However, what do we tend to get a giggle out of...

Alright - let's be honest here - it is the "wrong" things that give us the greatest laughs. Isn't laughter good for us? Isn't being able to laugh at ourself a fabulous trait? Just think how miserable we would all be if we didn't laugh when we made a mistake.

Thanks, Emma! Even though you feel like you have "tons of things" wrong with you, last night you were so very right!