I am a playground of emotions and moods. While I am capable of encouragement, support and finding the optimistic silver lining of many grey clouds, there are times when my mood swings put many people at risk of being offended, perplexed and even hurt. What is really irritating about this to me is that I seem to have limited control over what influences the ebb and flow of some of my more unfriendly moments. For instance, I am the person who will feel on top of the world one day, greeting all with a smile and cheerful small talk. But, the next time I see you, I may give a slight glance, a half smile and avoid conversation as if it were an anxiety-ridden public speaking engagement. In my younger days...before kids, I was privy to people like this and wondered why the heck they were so friendly on some days and other days were so rude to me. What was their problem? What did I do? Is there some rumor going around about me?! I never quite understood this personality tick until I became a tired, over-worked and affected mess of a mom.

This morning I awoke after a slaughtered night's sleep consisting of three sets of three-hour increments. You may wonder if I have a newborn or if my child was sick. The answer to both is no. Perhaps I worked late on a project or had anxiety over an unresolved problem. The answer to both - still no. The truth is my sleep was interrupted by a colorful variety of issues, with the first round occurring at midnight when I was roused by my bulldog's sinusitis snoring. However, the king size pillow launched with a swift kick from the foot of my bed seemed to stifle gruffmeister's racket promptly and soon I was floating back through dream time landscapes. My next rude awakening was around 3 a.m. when my toddler had a night terror. For those who have not yet encountered this tortured moment, it is when a concerned mother is jarred out of sleep by siren screams from her precious child. She bounds out of bed, bared-skinned and bleary-eyed in the cold winter's night to rescue little junior from his visions of scary monsters, only to find that the sheer touch of her hand to his soft fleshiness heightens the squalling and further induces arched back spasmodic fits of rage. After loving, yet ineffective words of motherly support, she stands there for a minute, realizing her futile position in the situation and exits the room of pitch darkness stepping barefoot on the missing red Lego stack and returns to that now chilled set of bed sheets, with heart racing. And, only after snuggled tightly under the covers trying to regain the tiniest bit of warmth to her chilly body will she then become aware that she must use the restroom. It is at this point that the puffy comforter will be abruptly swished back (which purposefully, but only momentarily annoys sleeping 'daddy bear') in order for her to get up and proceed to the calling. On the way to the bathroom, she will bump her thigh on the bed frame and her knee on the commode. After her night time restroom visit has ended, she will bang her way back to bed causing only a slight contusion when in her most glorious moment, she misjudges the bathroom door jamb and jars her shoulder with a soft thud. Finally, she will find herself back under those luxurious Sateen sheets and maintain status quo for what remains of the night. (Did I mention that this has happened to me...several times...) Unfortunately, last night I still had one more phase to go and that was my already-broken sleep ending one hour early at 6 a.m. when my cats dealt the final blow of causing muscle cramps from the stifled movement of my legs due to their positioning as bookends on either side of my earthbound appendages. That, along with my seven year old's very audible Fairly Odd Parents television show blaring well past his allowable '10' on the volume readout.

I am willing to believe that most women we come across who seem to be unpredictable - rude one minute and friendly the next or seemingly schizophrenics in their multiple personalities ranging from Suzy Sunshine to Gothic Grace are simply objects of similar circumstances. After many moons of pointing a rigid finger at the mood-swinging women I have met, I decided long ago to not take it personally. For instance, a run-in with another mom at our elementary school parking lot comes to mind. Without going into too much detail, I was hastened to move my car so that she could get her 'boat' on and out of the chaotic mess that hits every weekday around 2:30 p.m. In total respect for her dilemma, I quickly moved out of her way. She proceeded to pass me and with her window down audibly says "Moooooooove." Whereupon, I, with my window also down, responded...rather, I reacted...well, enough said. Was all this necessary? No, I am betting we were both in the downswing of our mood-laden playground because as the weeks went by there was an unspoken acceptance, pleasant smiles and all, that we are not bad people, we are simply good people with bad moments.

If you find yourself constantly questioning the actions of moms with matters of the mood, think before you over analyze. Are you really sure they do not like you? Are you sure that you have done something to wrong them? Most likely this person has no thought of you at all (unless that offends you) and are simply wanting to stay incognito in their day of physical and mental dis-order in order to recoup from the trials of their everyday, and every night life.