The Family That Laughs Together, Stays Together

Now this was stupid because a) he had probably dropped a pound or two anyway in the last couple of hours, b) the sweet coke syrup not found in Diet Coke was what helped upset stomachs and c) sipping the Diet Coke was probably the way to go rather than gulping half of the twenty-ounce bottle in one swig.

Needless to say the father was halfway home when he felt the urge to cackle which quickly turned into a strong urge to hoot and holler. Having no time to pull over he rolled down the window and leaned out while acrobatically keeping the car straight. Now this was also stupid because if he had paid attention in Physics class he would know that expelling an object out of a vehicle moving fifty miles per hour would just bring said object right back into the vehicle at an equal velocity … or something like that. The joke was now on the father not to mention the front seat of his car. Laughter: 2 Family Cars: 0. Had anybody been witness to this pathetic display, they would have seen a grown man driving a car down the highway screaming, “AHHH! AHHH! OH MY GOD!”

Upon arrival at home, the father quickly undressed and threw his clothes into the overworked washing machine. He jumped into the shower, scrubbed himself with the ferocity of an obsessive compulsive, toweled off, gave a pill to the mother and took one for himself. He then staggered into bed and the family enjoyed a restless sleep for two hours.

The next two days were spent alternately on the couch and the bed. Frequent trips were made to the bathroom by both the mother and the father. The toddler was thankfully good as new and couldn’t understand why his parents didn’t enjoy it when he gleefully climbed all over them or jumped on their heads and why they remained in bed moaning all day. The mother and father were actually grateful that the toddler felt better. It would have been impossible to take care of him in this state. The family eventually recovered and actually relished in the weight loss. But they never will forget the night of 1,000 Laughs.

So why do I recount this graphic tale that at times crosses the line of over sharing? Because looking back, it was a seventy-two hour period of time that can only be endured by people who truly love each other. Never has the term “for better or worse, in sickness and in health” been put to the test more. Because nothing says happy family like a night filled with laughter.

Photo courtesy of Our Milk Money