multitasking

I found myself in an interesting situation the other day. I was using one hand to restrain a child in his seat (it's a long story as to how we got to that ultimatum), and with the other I was rubbing the back of a sobbing child. I felt like justice and compassion personified and divided. It was hard to keep my facial expressions accurate to the situation. While looking left I needed to be stern and firm, and while looking right I needed to be loving and soothing. Meanwhile, I was monitoring the room, sending frowns or smiles to the various children, depending on their current behavior. Confusing! No wonder I feel so conflicted regarding my job! When I realized what I was doing, I almost laughed, but realized that that response was not appropriate for either situation. Ah, the joy of multitasking!