Let The Good Times Roll
“ANDY” - photo by Isaac Watkins
“She is clothed with strength and dignity,
and she laughs without fear of the future.”
Proverbs 31: 25
“If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em!”
My husband frequently repeats this phrase in reference to our home’s constant activity. And I’ll be honest, he’s all in on the chaos! He blares tunes during dinner, spontaneously initiates family outings, and dives into video games with the kids like he’s 13 all over again! He’s Dad of the Year in the fun department.
On the flip side, I’m more of the “let’s keep things calm and under control” type, and by “calm and under control,” I mean serious. But this year, I decided to lighten up and laugh more. Well, let’s just say I’ve had lots of opportunities to practice!
Our first official day of summer, I scheduled a morning out - full of swimming and treats! We swam for hours and topped off our celebration at McDonald’s. Ice cream, French fries and triple cheeseburgers multiplied our joy!
After we arrived home, we all settled in our own spaces for quiet time. I’ve been managing some health challenges for the past year, and naps have become my new favorite hobby! You heard right - Mom gets naps while the kids entertain themselves with “quiet” activities. And let me be clear, most days quiet time is just that - quiet and uneventful. Yet every now and then, life throws a curveball. Or in this case, a crash!
That afternoon started out like any other. I snuggled into bed and fell asleep immediately. An hour later a crash startled me awake. Immediately following the crash, my oldest son, Andrew, burst through my bedroom door like an Army Ranger on a mission.
“Mom!” He exclaimed. “I just want you to know that everything is under control!” My 13-year old bit his lip trying to remain calm, yet his eyes sparkled with mischievous laughter.
My sleepy fog immediately disappeared.
“What happened?” I asked, bracing myself for his answer. Andrew’s definition of “under control” and my definition of “under control” are basically polar opposites.
“Well, Wyatt and I sat down in the living room chair,” Andrew explained, “and the back legs just fell off!”
I blinked, confused. “Wait, what?” I asked. “Were you rocking back and forth or something?”
“Oh, no!” He answered earnestly. “We just sat down and the legs fell off! And then we fell over backwards. But don’t worry,” he added quickly. “I fixed it.”
“You fixed it?” I asked doubtfully.
Andrew nodded with pride, then left my bedroom as abruptly as he’d entered.
I tried to figure out how you “fix” a chair that collapsed under your weight. (Hint: duct tape and wood glue.)
A few minutes later, I mustered the courage to check out the living room’s wreckage. I cautiously approached the chair. I have to admit, the chair was an antique. “Our house looks like Granny’s house,” my husband often chides. And it does! But I treasure my old items.
As I examined the chair, I saw that my son had indeed fixed the chair’s legs. Silver duct tape held the splintered wood in place. Wood glue dripped from beneath the tape and pooled on the floor. Right then and there I decided this chair’s long life had come to a tragic end. I sighed and carried it to the dumpster. Then I retreated to my room to finish some work. One less antique in the house, I thought. At least my husband wouldn’t mind, right?!
The kids resumed their activities while I worked. At least they were having fun together! An hour later I wandered to the dining room. Everyone was so quiet and focused. All four kids stared intently at the wall, as though studying the Mona Lisa. Andrew kneeled in the center of their cluster.
Andrew is a creative genius - always developing a new idea or project! Today he was using my dining room wall for his masterpiece. Yup, you read that right! Black electrical tape secured a white t-shirt to the dining room wall, and he was just adding the finishing touches with his airbrush when I walked in.
“What do you think, Mom?” Andrew asked excitedly, stepping back to allow me full view of his creation. He beamed with pride. Electric pink and black paint screamed “ANDY!” Misdirected paint splattered on the wall.
I felt like screaming, “ANDY!”
“Wow, Andrew,” I said, choosing my words carefully. “Your work is…pretty incredible.” And it was…in its own way. “But do you think you could do your painting projects at your work bench next time…and not on the wall?” I tried to sound as nonchalant as possible.
“Oh, sure, Mom,” Andrew replied compliantly, as if it was the most reasonable request in the world. “Absolutely!”
Great, I thought. Glad we got that figured out! Andrew started moving his supplies to the garage. I decided it was time for a little cleanup - the kids blared the Alvin and the Chipmunks soundtrack as they scurried about. I related to “Dave” yelling, “Alvin…Alvin…. ALVIIIIINNNN!!!” I started to giggle quietly to myself.
Cleanup happened quickly, and soon enough, the worst of it was over! Only the gaming system remained. It sat on the coffee table in a mangled mass of cords.
“Can you put this away, Andrew?” I asked.
“I don’t know where to put it, Mom,” he admitted, looking confused. I understood his confusion.
“I’ll find a container for you,” I volunteered. I spotted an empty wooden crate on top of the refrigerator. Ah-ha! I thought. This will be perfect!
I grabbed the crate. As I pulled it toward me, hundreds of orange orbies exploded from the box and bounced all over the kitchen floor! It was as if Mount St. Helens erupted once again - this time in my kitchen!
As I stood there, staring at the sea of bouncing orange orbies, the afternoon’s events replayed through my head. Broken chair? Check. Airbrush project on my dining room wall? Check. Orbies everywhere? Check. At this point, I was going to either start crying or laughing. The giggle that percolated just moments before bubbled over. And I started laughing! Hysterically!
“Are you okay, Mom?” The kids eyed me warily.
“Oh yeah,” I gasped in between giggles. They looked at me as if I’d lost my mind. Maybe I had! It was then I knew exactly what my husband meant when he says, “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em!”
And that’s exactly what I did. As I looked around, I realized that what felt like chaos was actually the soundtrack of our family: the laughter, the mess, the creativity. It was a wild, imperfect symphony, and in the middle of it all, I was exactly where I needed to be.
So, here's to the chaos, the laughter, and the reminder that sometimes, the best moments in life aren’t the neat, perfect ones. They’re the ones where you just join ‘em—and let the good times roll.