Is it just my kids or do they all seem to have split personalities? They can be the sweetest and most angelic things on the planet. The next minute, they are spawns of Satan. Nothing makes them happy. They complain about anything and everything. Yesterday, we hosted the worst pay date I ever had the misfortune to witness. My kids refused to share, play nicely, take turns, be polite or anything assembling behavior of a respectable member of society. Today, they played outside together nicely. They played hide and seek, blew bubbles, collected rocks and picked flowers together. Afterwards, they took a bath together and had a great time laughing and playing. Are there evil twins lurking somewhere in my house that take over the minds and bodies of my kids when my back is turned? What causes these mercurial personality changes? When, if ever, do they outgrow these mood swings? Are these normal moments in their childhood development or does the Unabomber have better social skills than my children? Will I get a break from temper tantrums and general bad behavior in group settings before the dreaded teen years? Each night, as we hug and kiss them and put them to bed, I am hopeful that tomorrow will be drama-free, tantrum-free, and fight-free. What can I say? I'm an eternal optimist.
