What happens when Dad parks his car in Mom's garage?

Parenting is filled with plenty of amusement and at times enough stress to knock a sane person off their rocker. Last night we enjoyed a midnight rendezvous with our 4 year old who came crawling into our bed crying from a nightmare. 3 hours later we awoke to a pee filled bed. I gave serous thought to staying there in the corner of the bed and just taking my chances. However, my son was also trying to avoid the pee (hello you are lying in it!) and was pushing his wet little butt up against my back. End of a dream and a good night's sleep. We managed to reconstruct our sleeping situation and arise hours later less rested but still prepared to face the day. That moment was a true omen to the quirkiness that followed me the rest of the day. Many things just seemed out of place today but the humor of it didn't hit me until earlier this evening. We had just gotten the children to bed. Eric and I were heavily engaged in a discussion about the differences in how we have taught our children to wipe their butts. I suddenly found this greatly amusing but Eric was not going to be swayed from being seriously perturbed over a toilet cloggage that could not be beat. As we stood in our very tiny bathroom, each demonstrating our methods for wiping and debating the quantity of toilet paper used in the process I realized, we have all gone insane! Meanwhile, our 9 year old laid in his bedroom crying over the clog he had caused, the 4 year old insisted that his brother's crying was preventing him from sleeping and my daughter needed "another hug and kiss". With some quick wit and a sense of humor I managed to calm them down, including the husband. It isn't always easy to bust out the sense of humor though and those are the times these pesky little things can make us all completely lose our focus.

There is nothing easy about being a parent but the unexpected surprises are the magic that keeps us going. For instance, my daughter announced last week that she will not have a baby because it will hurt too much. After Eric and I initially reacted with, "good idea" we realized that we have job to do and this was after all a "teachable moment". The conversation turned into the whole "how babies are made" topic. My oldest son seemed to know the answer as evidenced by his "lord shoot me now" smile and uncomfortable shuffling in his chair. At times I will admit a little devil rises up and takes over inside of me. Seeing the look on my son's face made the devil stronger and it just wanted more more more! I couldn't resist the opportunity to make him squirm even more so I begged him for the answer. How are babies made? After a few more moments of squirming and a face that I can't quite decide was pleasure or pain, a great woosh of wind swept through him. As it left his body it brought the words tumbling quickly, "well, the father parks his car in the mom's garage!" I am not sure what was funnier, what he said or the gust of wind that seemed to throw it all out on the table against his will. Of course, I questioned whether I did the right thing by encouraging the conversation and if it benefited them in any way. I will always question if I do the right things because I am a mom. In the end I know that just the laughter and the nightly routine of being together benefits us all even if the topics are somewhat off track. On top of that, I am now confident that my space in the garage is secure. I doubt that Eric will set off a household panic by taking my space in the garage anytime soon.