by Rachel Berkowitz and Naomi Scheinerman
written 12/23/98
page 1 of 6
The first snow of winter was falling. The weather outside was bitter cold and the atmosphere inside wasn't much warmer. The Siegel family was having a miserable afternoon. The children were quarreling, the parents were exhausted and irritable, and the house was a mess.
The eldest child, 15-year-old Joshua, screamed, "How is anyone supposed to get homework done when there's so much noise!"
"You're making most of it shouting at us!" barked back his sister, Dinah, who was two years younger.
"I need someone to set the table," Mother asked pleadingly, but she was ignored.
Michael and Rebecca, the youngest children, sat in a corner playing with toys. In truth, the spent more time grabbing them away from each other than playing. Father tried to help them make peace, but they didn't stop fighting long enough to listen to him.