I’ve come to the realization that our family doesn’t have good or bad weeks, or good or bad days, or even good or bad moments.  It seems like everything we do is a pretty even mix of good and bad.  Both girls can swing pretty far and fast from one emotion to the next.  There are moments when Dee Dee is tuned out from most things and is in her own world, otherwise she is usually on the verge of giggling or the verge of sobbing.  Audio spends a lot of her time seemingly searching for something to blow up about.  Even uncontrolled laughter can quickly shift to uncontrolled screaming over something that may or may not have happened.  So, everything from putting on socks to spring break turns out to be a wild, emotional ride for all of us. 

It’s tiring to be yanked back and forth, but it’s the job we signed up for.  So, in an attempt to weaken the whiplash, we spend a lot of time talking with our girls about their behavior.  We are rather open with them.  Things like, “If you act like that, you won’t have any friends,” don’t get sugar coated.  If we’re going to be the conscience instructor of our children, while we’re training-in their conscience we may as well teach it to be honest.  It seems like self-deception is a problem that a lot of children never grow out of.  One must wonder if that is because they never learned or if it’s because they were never taught to be honest with their selves. 

We also talk a lot about accepting adversity with some amount of grace.  The whole, “you can’t control what happens to you but you can control how you react to what happens to you,” thing.  Crying and screaming rarely play well in any room.  Everyone has their moments.  But some people aren’t aware that they are having their moments while or after they’ve had them.  So, we have a lot of talks about the reputation one earns by staying in control.  I have to admit that both girls are struggling with that concept.   But, when they’re ready to hear that message, we’ll still be singing it. 

I don’t know how most parents deal with their kids’ bad behavior in private, but from what I’ve seen in public, there are two popular techniques: Heavy handed and Hands off.  I rarely witness parents having a talk with their kids.  But, perhaps the talks happen after they get home.  But by that time, the moment is lost.