rule of two

Have you heard of the rule of two? It’s that your children will turn out to be twice as naughty as you were as a child. Oops. My childhood bad. 

My kids are so emotional and loud and tantrummy. I feel bad, because Steve, I’m sure, was a fantastic child. If he would have had kids with anyone else, they would have turned out as perfect little angels, no doubt. But right now, Holden is running around screaming at the top of his lungs and laughing because he is just so loud. And we all remember Brandon’s library meltdown last week. Time hasn’t healed that wound yet.

Is it bad that when we’re out in public and another kid is loud or screamy, I smile? I am glad to know I’m not alone in this. I’m glad to know that not all kids are perfectly polite and well-behaved, because it makes me feel a little less like a failure. I do not believe in sedating my kids’ organic personalities to fit what is easiest for me to deal with, but I do believe in public decency and respect. Even just getting that out of them sometimes is impossible.

But I brought this upon myself, really. If that rule of two is true. I could’ve been better. But thank god I wasn’t even worse.