Who won that round?

Sometimes, I feel like motherhood is a game or maybe it's a battle.

Last Sunday, Kaitlyn and Apani were physically fighting in the back seat on our ride home from church. Our 30 minute ride home from church. I tried to help. There isn't much I can do with them so far behind me, other than yell threats. It was a vicious cycle, hit, cry, scratch, cry, bite, cry, back and forth. I was losing my mind. Though I must admit, I was patient. I didn't really yell, not this time anyway. Maybe it was because we had just left church? Anyway ... In vain, I attempted to explain that the only way it was going to end was when one of them decided they weren't going to get the last throw.

After feeling defeated and not in control of the situation, I said, "For every time I have to tell you stop, I will eat a piece of your gum!" Desperate times, call for desperate measures. Gum is gold to them, especially Apani, but I had no idea what kind of can I had just opened.

The fighting continued. I demanded several times that they stop, but they didn't listen. I had no choice. "That's IT! How many times have I told you to stop?"
"10?" Kaity asked, she thought it was funny.
"10 it is." I took out the gum and said, "ONE!" I unwrapped the 1 1/2" piece of pink sweetness and put it in my mouth. "TWO!" I unwrapped another. "THREE!" After 5 pieces, chewing was becoming difficult. Apani, way in the back was pleading with me, "Stop, please, stop. I'm sorry." But ... I proceeded all the way to, no not ten, but seven. I ran out of gum. I told them I had to buy a new pack just so I could eat it all and catch up!

"You're the WORST, mom!" Apani yelled. She stressed worst, that wasn't a typo. Kaitlyn found the whole thing quite amusing. She finds joy in everything. Such a happy little girl. But in this situation, I think she was happy because Apani wasn't. And because Apani finally stopped bothering her.

They stopped fighting. The rest of the way home was pretty quiet aside from the whimpering. I felt like I had won. However, my teeth were killing me. It started to get pretty bad. I had to take the percocet which was prescribed after delivering Daisy. I went to the dentist Monday to see what was wrong. There's a cavity on the nerve...I need a route canal! Seriously? Like I need one of those right now? Every time I figure out what's wrong with one thing, I need to find out why I have pain somewhere else! Really, when is this going to end????

So, again I ask, who REALLY won that round?