Who needs the Jersey Shore when we have West Virginia?

There's a reason (outside of the fact the shows are just stupid!) that I don't watch any of the MTV type reality shows and that is simply because my family can top any whacked out, mind boggling, jaw dropping nonsense they can come up with.  Case in point, 3 am text messages received from my brother regarding his ability to screw up his life at a rate only paralleled by Lindsey Lohan, just without the numerous paparazzi involved.

I love my brother...and used to take blame for his inability to grow up by saying I babied him too much as a child.  And, I probably did.  My mom went back to school for her master's degree when I was 10/11 and I did a lot of "raising" my sister and him.  However, that was 30 years ago, and, at some point, it isn't my fault anymore.  But, of course, that doesn't stop me from worrying...or caring.  Especially now as he has a wife and four kids.  Obviously I missed the lesson in responsible parenting!

After 7 years in college, we decided his university was just tired of taking my dad's money so they gave my brother a degree.  Since then, he has changed careers (not jobs) at least 8 times.  This would not be a problem if he'd just find one he actually likes...and one that keeps him out of trouble!  And, his attention span is not much better when it comes to his marriage.  I adore my sister-in-law, but her answer to his tendency to get bored has always been to just get pregnant.  Pretty sure that is not the advice in any of the "Can this marriage be saved" columns.  Four incredible nieces and nephews were enough I guess as the quick "snip snip" visit to the doctor last year ended that pattern of behavior.

So, in order to both make a living, and feed his need for excitement, my brother became a bail bondsman last year.  For anyone who knows him, this was quite the entertaining thought...take a man (albeit very good sized man) who is known to be the biggest teddy bear in the world, but with an unquenchable thirst for adventure, give him a gun and a female partner and send him off.  Anyone see a recipe for disaster here? 

Of course, we have all seen this movie, and know how it ends.  Female partner (who, it turns out, could have had a guest spot on the Soprano's) didn't see the writing on the walls, thought she had met Prince Charming (hello, I still help him balance his checkbook!!) and decided to push for the next step.  Brother panics, tells his wife everything, and we all get the frantic middle of the night text messages asking for help.  So now, in the midst of working, writing this incredibly important blog for my 5 readers, and raising 2 kids and 2 dogs on my own, I'm helping him find a job (obviously need to quit the one that has him hanging with the gun toting Glenn Close character from Fatal Attraction), while also trying to help him save his marriage.  Yeah, normal activity for a Tuesday!

People have asked me why I am always in a good mood...well, I'd love to say it was the Prozac but really, what else am I going to do?  One day, some Hollywood writer with a few hours to kill, is going to stumble upon this little blog and turn our crazy, Parenthood meets Twisted Sister family, into an overnight success (or tragedy) and then I can truly say with a smile..."Hey, what are you going to do?  It's family!"