Knitting is the thing to do at moments such as these.

There are times when I understand why tigers eat their young. My oldest child is at camp with his classmates for the next 4 days. I envisioned lots of quality time with the kid left behind but instead this evening has been nothing but mood swings and disagreements. Maybe the tigers are onto something....
After yet one more disagreement, this one about whether or not there would be chocolate chips in the cake she was baking (there would NOT be) I threw up my hands and escaped to the front stoop to stew about ungrateful children, chocolate chips and the feasibility of starting life anew in Mexico. I did calm down and so did she. This child of mine is a strong-willed, independent one and I know I should be grateful that she has a mind of her own and isn't easily swayed by her peers or anyone else but  it is exhausting some days to parent this situation with love and grace and wisdom.
I did come inside and pick up some knitting after a little while. Knitting is like meditation and yoga and a long, brisk walk all rolled into one when there's no way you can get away because your child has a cake in the oven and hasn't got a ton of experience checking for doneness but refuses help because SHE CAN DO IT HERSELF MOM. Knitting is the thing to do at moments such as these. It looks like you're engrossed in something and not paying attention to what they're doing when in reality you are totally tuned into what's going on and the only thing keeping you sane is the repetitive soothingness of knit and purl.
My oatmeal blanket was the thing I picked up. By the time I'm done knitting or purling 200 stitches I feel a little more rational about life in general.
Is there a project you gravitate towards when life is getting a little out of control and you need some serenity NOW?