Family Council: the (other) fight that starts with prayer

We, meaning my husband and I, have decided that we need to have more Family Councils.  We want to foster discussions of all sorts of things-anything anyone feels a need to bring up.  We hope that everyone will feel they have a voice, that they can be heard, and that their concerns and opinions will be respected.  To say that we are not there, yet, would be quite an understatement.  To say that we are more near to chaos, anarchy, and WWIII would not be much of an over-statement.  It would be funny if it didn't hurt.  Yesterday, after dinner, Dad tried vainly to establish rules of order and to keep said order, but ended up yelling for order-not that I blame him-you just had to be there.  I felt that if we could harness the power of "rolling eyes" we could have generated a good week of power for our home.   Now there's an idea that hasn't been brought to the attention of those trying to find alternate sources of energy.  

Which reminds me: there is a sign on Country Club Rd which advises that the street will be closed for repairs and that an "alternet" route should be used.  Things like this bother me each and every time I see them.  I suppose I should save my worry for larger things, but I consider it a sign of the dumbing down of America.  You worry about the large stuff and I will take care of worrying about the little things.

However, back to our Family Council, which I wished I could leave as I feel all of us did,  Nevertheless, we persevered, covering all the topics Mom and Dad brought to the table.  In the future we hope that the children will also bring ideas for discussion, but tonight it was all us. While Dad vainly struggled to keep order, Mom fought to keep peace, and son #4 tried to tell us how we were doing it all wrong, and son #5 tried to keep from laughing, and daughters #1-3 tried to either tell us how unfair we were or to leave, sometimes simultaneously, and daughter #4 kept telling us how no-one listens to her.  I hope you get the general idea and "feel my pain".

This isn't the first time we have had a Family Council and won't be the last.  It is just that we feel that if we have them more regularly we will get better at it and maybe there will come a day when we can all listen to each other and be more accepting.  In that day we can settle disagreements more civilly and show each other more respect.  I have to believe that that day can come.  Otherwise, I couldn't sit through another one of these if you paid me!