Sick babies, big kids

Sick babies
Hot
Feverish
Crabby
Snuggley
Coughing
Snotty
Spitting
Thirsty
Whiney
Sad
Tired
Clingy
Grumpy
Sweet
Sick
Babies

Big kids
Worried
Hormonal
Nervous
Depressed
Focused
Distracted
Happy
Sad
Studying
Practicing
Gone
Excited
Goofy
Argumentative
Angry
Forgiving
Tender
Big
Kids

The greatness and agony of my life right now lies in the straddling of these two parallel universes. The small, sick, sad, needy and the big, nervous, emotional needy. The middle kids don't need as much. In fact, they'd just as soon be left alone, so they can play chess or clay or put a half cup of sugar in their tea, avoiding school and chores like the plague, brandishing wooden swords and light sabers and nerf guns with no ammo but still deemed effective because they make that cool poof! sound when you pull the trigger. But the smalls want held and the bigs want to practice their speeches. Little cries and long stories both claim my ears and brain cells. And I don't mind. There's nowhere I'd rather be, nothing I'd rather do. Except maybe fold laundry.