S3 • E1 Oct 5, 2006
Holly Gaden never gets a moment's rest. She had her first child at age 16, and now, at 27, she's got two more young children under her wing who demand full time care. It's a loud, chaotic household, with three girls, ranging in age from 16 months to 13 years, constantly competing for mom's attention. Holly's sister Becky Williams is always telling Holly that she needs to be more relaxed and calm when she's dealing with her kids. Becky thinks Holly gets too worked up and stressed out about her role as a mother, and this in turn creates a more stressful household. Of course, Becky says all this from her perspective as a nurse - where everything works according to established medical procedures, and where remaining calm under pressure is considered a cardinal virtue. Becky thinks she has the prescription for stress-free parenting: remain calm and the kids will magically "chill out." It doesn't work out that way.
