A while back a friend at church told a story over the pulpit that gave me the galloping giggles. He told about a trip his big family took when he was a child. They were traveling along in their Volkswagen van with its rubber floor when someone spilled soda pop on the floor. When the driver took a turn, it ran all over the van floor. The result: everyone’s feet stuck to the floor the rest of the trip, even after trying to wash it. (Parenting tip: When you say your prayers tonight, thank God for modern spill-proof cups. Also, soda pop in the car is a bad, bad idea. You will also have to stop at every rest stop all the way to your destination).
Everyone in the congregation laughed at his story, but unlike everyone else, I couldn’t stop, even after his talk turned more serious. (Tip for kids: if you get the giggles in such a situation, think of something serious, fast. An upcoming homework assignment is a safe bet.)
Its just that I could relate so much to both the messiness and joys of big family attempts at fun and work. It’s good stuff. Hard stuff. Bonding stuff.
When I grew up, my large family didn’t have a VW bus. My parents ran a candy vending business, so we had a cargo van with only a driver’s and passenger seat and no side windows. We’d all lay in the back on long trips, never totally sure where we were. Thank goodness for books. And yup, it was still capable of the same sticky floor situation. My family learned to laugh so we wouldn’t cry. The advantage of that is that we’re still laughing together today. We all make memories working hard and traveling with our families despite the fact that plans rarely turn out how we hope they will.
And don’t even get me started on the pandemonium of trying to get a big family cleaned up for something important. That’s a story for another day. (Big family tip: Give yourself twice the amount of time to get ready that you think you need. And if you get there and discover you daughter has no underwear on under that dress, just laugh and enjoy the wedding, or whatever).
This might be why I like the picture book BATHE THE CAT by Alice B. McGinty and Illustrated by David Roberts. This diverse family is trying to get ready for Grandma Marge’s coming and the house is a mess! Dad assigns chores, using the refrigerator magnets, including his chore, which is to bathe the cat. The cat is not at all pleased about getting bathed, and comes up with a clever plan to change the refrigerator magnets around. Soon family members are feeding the floor, rocking the rug, and scrubbing the fish. Hilarious slap-stick, kid-like comedy ensues.
Like I say, in all families, but especially big ones, a sense of humor goes a long way.
Jenny Crooks-Johnson 