Harmony

It feels like a freak of nature when everything goes smoothly.

Today was Rose's first open house with us. Her only fifth grade open house. Rose was thrilled to see Mike and I and ecstatic to show us her classroom, work and introduce us to her teachers. It was in complete contrast to the school day Rose usually describes as "fine" or as filled with drama that would make most TV shows seem boring.

On top of that, as we sat through the first of I hope many goofy presentations by the teachers, Rose started to crack every joint in her upper body. A sure sign of anxiety. So I grabbed her hand and held it in mine, which immediately calmed her nerves. After we let go, the cracking stopped.

On the way to McDonald's we sang the song Rose is now determined to memorize: "American Pie." After a quick dinner, we got home where Rose settled right into homework and writing out thank you notes for her baptism gifts while I made brownies. She did this without prompting or arguing.

Then, she watched 20 minutes of TV to unwind before getting up without argument to brush her teeth and hop into bed.  It was so peaceful. It was so nice. It felt like a strange harmony had filled our house and family. It was just what I had imagined parenthood to be like.