Really, THAT'S what's making you Upset?!

As many of you guys may know, the Wife and 4 little people who live in my place and eat my food, are currently in Canada.  This leaves me, and Mr D at home in China taking care of some other stuff... like, oh, I donno, moving apartments.

Moving is stressful... even when you can communicate effectively with Realtors, Landlords, Truck Drivers, small woodland creatures, etc.  When you're trying to do it in Chinese (provided you are not proficient in Chinese, I mean, if you were fluent in Chinese then you know, whatever... but) and your vocabulary is limited to "Where is the coffee", "I need coffee", "You don't understand, I need coffee!", "Get me coffee and no one has to get hurt!" and "Yes, that is the number I want to call for my 1-phone call" it gets even MORE stressful.

But we all hit our stress breaking points at different times and over different things.

Me for example, I'm fiiiiine, I mean, really, I'm fine so long as I have coffee.  If I have coffee, then nothing is going to cause me to snap.  This has taken, like 39 years to reach this coffee-induced-zen-state.  For others though... people can snap over different things...

Mr D:  I want my computer back!
Me:  Why?  Your Mom took your laptop, but left you her's instead.  What's the big deal?!
Mr D:  Mrrraaaauuughhhh...
Me:  Can it not play your video games?
Mr D:  Noooooo, it plays them fine.
Me:  Is the screen broken again?
Mr D:  Nooo, the screen is fixed.
Me:  Oh, is it over heating?
Mr D:  No.
Me:  Huh, uh, so... what's the problem then?  I can probably fix it.
Mr D:  This! 
*whack* *whack* *thud* *thump* *whack*
Me:  Stop hitting the keyboard like that!
Mr D:  But that's the problem...  the keystroke is too short!  It feels funny.
Me:  ... what?
Mr D:  Meeeeergh, the keys are funny.  I don't like them.  I want my computer back.

The breaking point...

Me:  Really.  You're crying because you don't like the keys on your mothers laptop?
Mr D:  (looks thoughtfully off into the distance)  And the track-pad sucks.
Me:  So... the keyboard and the track-pad... that's why you're upset?
Mr D:  Meeeerrrgahhhhh... yeah.
Me:  Sooooooo... NOT the fact that we have to move from our old apartment?

Leaving beautiful KaiYin

Me:  And it's not all the stuff we have to move ourselves?

5 small moving vans of stuff!  We came with 7 suitcases!

Me:  And it's not the fact the new the apartment's toilet is missing it's seat?

Buying a toilet seat online (how else do you buy toilet seats in China?)

Me:  And it's not the fact that the new apartments 2nd toilet is really just a squatty?

Don't laugh - it's great for your core strength!

Me: And it's not the fact that we've been living out of boxes for a month?

*Siiigh* So much unpacking to do

Me:  And it's not the fact that you missed the family photos in Winnipeg and I had to PhotoShop you in?

Ooops, foots in the way... re-shoot!

Ah, much better!

Me:  It's really that you just don't like that laptops keyboard?!
*awkward pause*
Mr D:  ... well... and the track-pad. 

Our kids are troopers!  I'm always so impressed with what they are able to handle without complaining or making a big fuss over.  And something I need to remind myself, is that when they do tend to over-react to (what I consider) a "small" thing, there probably really is a "larger" thing at play which I'm not seeing...

Now, with the Wife, it's almost always just that we've just run out of Chocolate.