Fired as a mom....

The other day something happened to one of my kids ; they walked into a screen.  And I did something awful……I laughed.

I know moms are supposed to be supportive and have every emotion and every response perfectly in check when something happens to their kids.  But apparently, my memo is lost in the mail.

When I see someone walk through a screen door, I all but fall to my knees laughing.  I don’t know why.  I have had that issue since birth.

Once, many years ago, while my friends son was about 3 years old, he was running around the house.   He was a little out of control and getting wound up even more as he ran.  But as he approached us, he ran into the coffee table and it stopped him dead in his tracks.  As all the moms around us gasped in horror, I let out with a big guffaw….And had a hard time stopping myself.

I’m not saying I’m proud of it, but to me that moment was funny.  He was fine, just a little bruised and maybe embarrassed, but no more than me when I realized I was the only one laughing.  Eeegads…….

It’s not just at someone else’s pain, and to clarify, I am NEVER happy when someone gets hurt, it’s just the physical act of it all that gets my brain twisted and I laugh as a nervous response (I guess).

But, truth is, I laugh at inopportune times more often than I should.

I was at a funeral one time as my friends mom had passed.  We were listening to the sermon, and this older (much older) lady started to fall asleep in front of us.  My girlfriend and I watched as this lady was starting to nod off and fall to the right.  My girlfriend, witnessing this, makes the motion to get up and grab her so she doesn’t fall…….and after that I was totally lost.   I was laughing so hard (and so was she), that I couldn’t recover.  I also couldn’t leave, as we were wedged over by the wall and had to pass over 5 people to walk out.  So we were stuck in our seats, and try as I might, I couldn’t stop laughing. 

Now, I’m not completely insensitive.  I didn’t really (well at all) know the mother who had passed.   And so all the things they were saying about her went right over my head, because I could neither confirm, nor deny what they were saying.  I was simply there to support my friend.

One of the girls who was sitting in our row knew we were hopeless cases.  She promptly fired us from the “support” committee.  L

We all have our cross to bear.  This is one of mine.  I laugh at inopportune times, and though I’m not proud of it; and my kids sometimes hate me for it….I am who I am.

So, if you fall in front of me, and I start laughing, don’t be surprised.  You won’t be the first and you won’t be the last!

Happy Saturday