“Seem” would be the key word here.

I do it just like every other parent on the planet does it. I work as hard as I can and give as much to my children and my husband as I physically can and cut corners where I have to. We all have to cut corners somewhere. I am a stay-at-home mother with three young children; I have a supportive husband and great neighbors and friends who help me to pick up the slack.

Because the truth is, as a parent - be it mom, dad, single, or married - there are simply not enough hours in the day.

Every day we must decide what is the most important task that must be accomplished that day. Sometimes that means missing a workout, putting off writing until the next day or even ignoring mountains of laundry to simply play with my children. My children have cereal for dinner some nights and I have Papa John’s on speed dial. I have thrown an entire bag of Doritos at my kids while I was cooking dinner just to make them stop whining about how hungry they were. I have occasionally bribed them with lollipops and candy corn to clean up their messes, take their medicine or finish their vegetables. I have no secret weapon or formula. I get tired. I get frustrated and I get short with my kids and my husband.

I am imperfect. We all are.

Mark Twain said, “The human race has only one really effective weapon and that is laughter.” I’ve found that laughter is the only medicine that helps me to deal with the madness of motherhood. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not sitting over here slapping my knees, doubled over with laughter every time my kids misbehave, disobey or make a mess, but I try to keep my sense of humor and realize that even if it isn’t funny to me now, it will be to you later.

I’ve had plenty of Mommy Meltdowns during naptime or driving home from the doctor’s office with three sick kids, and a sinus infection to boot.

But I have found that having a bad attitude only leads to worse behavior from my children and general unhappiness in my home. The more I’m able to laugh and see the bright side of things, the brighter things become.

And some of the brightest moments in my life come to me when I am reflecting, and writing to share these moments with you. It also helps that to do my job I don’t have to have clean hair, a clean house, clean clothes, makeup or a bra.

(Robin O’Bryant is a Mount Pleasant resident and mother of three. Read her blog online at www.robinschicks.com or e-mail her, zebandrobin@hotmail.com.)