Whenever I feel out of control, I recite all the creatures I can think of that have exoskeletons. “Grasshoppers, cockroaches, crabs, lobsters, snails, clams, chitons, spiders, ants, scorpions, shrimp, dragonfly nymphs, cicadas, butterflies, moths,” I say to the kid while putting her diaper on backward. I have one eye on the Department cameras, our third, fourth, and fifth family members. “It appears we’re outnumbered,” I whisper into the kid’s ear.
