Enjoying the Kids

Today we were driving the kids back home from a friend's house in Long Beach and Skip and Zadie were behaving terribly.  They were fighting, crying, and whining.  I told Tori that I was really surprised that our kids weren't better behaved.  I really thought my children would be such model citizens.  I don't know if this is just normal kid behavior or if our kids are more whiny than other kids, but I just really don't think that my brother and sister and I could have acted like that when we were kids.  I'm not sure what my parents were doing differently.  Were we just too afraid to act like that because of being punished (not that my parents were overly strict)?  Do Tori and I coddle our kids?  I don't think that's the case -- most of the time it seems like I get better results being patient than being really strict and upset with them.

Then we came home and had lunch (it's another rainy day) and lit a fire in the fireplace.  Skip sat on a chair near the fire and stared into the fire, mesmerized as if he was watching a really good cartoon on television.  He let me sit with him and cuddle next to the fire and we read books together.  They all ate well and were very excited about getting crackers as a reward for eating their lunches (such a treat!).

Suddenly our kids seemed so sweet and well-behaved.  I don't know what to make of all this.  I just wish I could figure out how to make our kids sweet all the time.  I often feel like Rodney King: "Can't we all just get along?"