Stone Fox Bride

Last night I got home at 6. The kids were eating pizza. We watched a 4 minute video of Koko the gorilla. Then we read Ramona Quimby. Then lollipops. We brushed teeth and got in bed. I turned off the light. "Tickle my back," said C. "Tickle MY back," said S. "I will tickle C's back first, and then S's back," I said. S. burst into tears. "You tickled C's back first last night," she said. "Then make a choice," I said. "Whoever goes first, gets 3 minutes, and whoever goes second gets 5 minutes." "I'll go first!" said C. I set the timer. Then I got to S. "My life is so unfair," she said. "You never tickle my back first. I don't have a bunk bed or a cat. And I want a white water bottle but I have a red water bottle." "Hm," I said. "Sometimes life is unfair. I don't get what I want either a lot, either.” What I wanted to say: "you little shit in the .00001% I spend 29 hours a day, 8 days a week ensuring you are safe and thriving." The timer went off. "I'm going to leave now," I said. "Put on a meditation," said S. I put on Cori in Unicornland. "I don't want Cori in Unicornland," said S. "I want Sadie in Cloudtopia." "I don't know what Sadie in Cloudtopia," I said. “Sadie is what I want," said S. "TOUGH SHIT!" I bellowed. I stormed out. They started crying. I stood in the kitchen breathing. I went back in the bedroom. "You said a bad word," said S. Exhaustion flooded over me."What is happening," I said. I fell on the bed. Then I started laughing. So did S and C. We lay in the dark laughing wildly. S. wrapped her arms around me. Her tears were in my hair. I put on a Martin the Octopus Meditation and went to watch the finale of "The Sinner." All I wanted to know was who was Julian's father? And would Vera finally wrest him from Mosswood? But the second I plopped on the couch C. came out. "I want Daddy," she said. "Mommy and Daddy are divorced," I said, staring into the TV. “We are still a family but we are happier in our own homes. Time for bed." She started wailing. I picked her up. "Ssh Mommy's here." Onscreen, the big reveal was happening, but C. was crying so hard I couldn’t hear a thing. #stonefoxmama #stonefoxride #thestruggleisreal #divorcestories