Just another hole in the wall...

I must have watched Pink Floyd's "The Wall" a few hundred times in the course of my life, but until today, I don't think I've ever truly understood it.  For the longest time I thought it was the plight of a boy raised in a war torn country and the fight to hold onto sanity even as the last bricks of insanity were caging him in... WRONG!

Turns out "The Wall" refers to exactly what it says - in my case, the tiled bathroom wall of my upstairs shower in what we refer to as the "kids bathroom".  It was once whole and held waves of water (or at least large splashes) at bay from more important parts of the structure like drywall, insulation and wall beams.  It's carefully sealed tiles kept it's occupants warm and safe from spiders and ants that are constantly looking for a way in. I do live in an older home, but I'm sure that wall could have stood for another ten years if I didn't have children.

(Now don't get me wrong, I love all four of my brats, but when they are home alone after school it seems that all of them are capable of some ultimate stupidities.)

So after a long day of work, kids, grocery store, and dinner making, I find out that a giant hole has magically appeared in the wall of the shower.  Now this is not a small "oops" hole, but a large "holy-crap-that-hurt" hole.  Not only did someone break through six tiles, but the drywall behind it as well.  A cocker spaniel would easily fit through this new shower entrance, should one happen to be hanging out nearby.  According to all of my children (ages nine thru seventeen), nobody saw or heard a thing.  One admitted chasing another into the bathroom, one admitted to being in the bathroom, one said he was yelling at the other two to shut up and one admitted he was totally oblivious with his headphones on playing WOW.  Out of four reasonably intelligent children, not one knows what happened!  I even had one child suggest that "Maybe nobody did it.  Things just happen sometimes, you know..."

(Yes, and pigs fly and I'm going to win the lotto and my son is going to MIT - are you kidding me?!!)

I can now see parallels in what Pink Floyd was trying to convey and the insanity I felt cursing through every brain receptor.  I know in my head that yes, someone did it and I'm even fairly certain of who, but can I punish without proof?!  There was nobody to witness, there was no hard evidence!  There wasn't a child hinting at blame to another.  I watch Law and Order - had I gone to trial, I would have lost!  The insanity of it all makes me dizzy as I realize that my beautiful, loving children are slowly breaking me - they are turning the lessons of logit I taught them to their own advantage - they are poking holes in my mommy bubble!!

It is at this point, just before the blackness closes in, that I take a deep breath and pour myself a glass of wine.  I am determined to rebuild my mommy bubble, but until such time my finances can stretch to re-tile the shower, it will be with Visqueen and duct tape.  Not the prettiest fix, but that is their problem.  It is after all, just another hole in the wall.  :)