This is Why We're Always Late

Picture this, a frazzled looking mom standing at the door, computer bag and purse over one shoulder with a travel mug of coffee, backpack over the other shoulder and Transformer lunch bag in that hand. Are the kids anywhere to be seen? Of course not, one is "just getting a toy" the other is kicking a ball around, still shoeless. And this of course is 20 minutes after I've said "we're leaving in 5 minutes." And of course by the time we leave, I've set my freshly brewed coffee down and forgotten it.

"We need to leave right now. Do you want to have to run to school? I don't want to be late." All extremely useless little phrases. Things have improved in the morning from this, but as a family who abhors routine, I don't think we'll ever get it down to a science. I mean, you can see my kids are totally serious, obedient little buggers, it's hard to believe they'd rather goof off in the morning. We did manage to make it to kindergarten graduation with only 6 tardies, 14 tantrums and not a single broken bone.

School year routine, at least this past year:

Donovan usually up by 6 or 6:30 am, Keegan soon after that or has to be woken up at 7:15.

Chocolate milk and TV for the kiddos, as we negotiate how long I stay downstairs. At 4 1/2, Donovan still sometimes gets mad if I dare to pee before I go downstairs, get his milk, watch him turn the TV on, etc. The stern lectures are finally paying off.

M/W/F - I take Keegan, Daddy sleeps and Donovan watches TV and plays in the computer until he gets up. They have leisurely breakfast around 10am, walk the dogs, and he tries to get him there by noon. Occasionally the laundry gets folded, but somehow they never have time to get the dirty dishes into the dishwasher.

T/Th - mommy gets up and gets everyone ready, except shoes, which somehow seems to take longer to put on than an entire outfit. If I'm feeling generous, I'll pop a few pieces of french toast in the toaster. Daddy takes them both to school . Then I get myself ready, walk the dogs, maybe even catch a little snooze if there is no morning meeting.

But all bets are off if I, say, have an 8am conference call, or am annoyed or sick and make my husband get up, or if the kids are cranky, too hungry, not hungry enough. Pretty much the only given is some adult attempting to rush kids out the door while they insist they need to bring a toy, and me both apologizing for getting upset while simultaneously explaining why it's their fault we're late. I know, not productive. At least next year I, in theory, will get to drop Keegan off instead of worrying about parking and walking him to school, which I'll probably miss terribly. And I hope Donovan will finally be able to dress himself.

Now it's summer, where pretty much every single week, if not day, will be different. Except mommy will mostly be at work, while the rest of the family will be outside playing soccer or resting in the house. So far I've come home two days in a row to two naked boys, fresh out of of the pool. I may miss the fun, but at least I'll only have to get one person ready in the morning.

This post was written for Parent Bloggers Network as part of a contest sponsored by KRAFT BAGEL-FULS.