Outrage

This is what my family looks like during a typical dinner. No matter how well they kept it together all day, they dissolve into clowns the minute the food hits the table. They can no longer contain their silliness. It starts out as a little joke, or funny story and rapidly progresses to uproars of laughter. And by uproar, I really mean screech. Loud. Want to bury your head in the sand volume. Chairs are a nuisance since they don't sit in them. Drew hasn't used a chair since second grade. Timothy fetches the remote and chants "Mickey" while waving it in our faces. One girl is frequently sulking.

Since at least the adults and occasionally a child don't enjoy this time together, we have established guidelines and things have been looking up the past few days. In an effort to address overall interaction, we just began to work on a family mission statement. Over dinner. So last night while most were quipping what they anticipated we wanted to hear, Megan chose the honest route.

Megan: I think that we should have more love. Drew and Ellen are always mean to me.
Andy: Is that true, Drew?
Drew: Only after Ellen does it first.
Andy: Is that true, Drew?
Drew: Only after Ellen does it first.
Andy: I heard you. Is that true, Drew?
Drew: Sometimes.
Megan: All the time.
Andy: Do you have something that you would like to say now, Drew?
Drew: With a baby tone. Sorry.
Megan: It's not enough!

Perhaps some of their troubles stem from the fact that Andy and I could only keep a straight face for about 2 seconds before erupting into the same fits of laughter that make us insane.