You'd think that when school called a late-start, your day as a mom would be easier. Well, I can guarantee you that it wasn't.
This morning, well after some kids were already waiting outside for the bus to come, we got that text that pinged all three phones at once.
Late start. Yay! It snowed a little and we're still not done with winter. It was just a two-hour delay, but it was our only snow day this year. Yay! We all thought as we slowed into snow-day routine without thinking of the ramifications of a two-hour delayed start.
First, everyone was already awake and half ready for school and work. This meant that there was no true added value to anyone except Nick who watched Jim Gaffigan on TV for an hour and a half after he got out of the shower. He'll have to make up the school work anyway. It's not a zero sum gain. It's a lose-lose even though he won't recognize it as such.
When the students lose time in school, everyone has to work harder to make it up before testing happens. Stress will go up incrementally.
As for me, I still had to nag about the garbage and the recyclables, extra since I thought he might miss the garbage truck if he waited to take it out. I still had to talk about homework status and studying for the SAT. I still had to announce the hurry-ups and the better-get-goings, only this time, they happened almost twice. Remember, we were pretty far into our routine the first time before we got the late-start texts.
I still had to make lunch, but I also had to make Nick a coffee because he said he might fall back to sleep for a while if I didn't. At the last minute, he announced that his lunch was too small. Too small. Too big. Every day I do the same thing and I still get it wrong. I had to scramble to make it right. That boy is this close to making his own lunches. This close.
Then, I had to do an extra load of laundry because the school informed Nick that the gym has a ringworm infection and his gym clothes might be infected.
Nice.
So, I'm running the dryer on extra-hot. Then, I'm going to run the clothes through the washer again just in case.
I hate having fungus, parasites, viruses, shit like that in my house. I get started looking at the Internet and get seriously grossed out. Those things have teeth? Since when do fungi have teeth? Sometimes those pictures don't actually match the search criteria, but some kind of microscopic worm with teeth is what I'd expect to see when I looked up ringworm and so there it was, along with photos of the worst case of ringworm ever seen. I can't unsee that.
Don't look that shit up on the Internet. Just don't do it.
So now, everyone has departed. The laundry is drying and almost ready for round two. I've already had my cup of coffee for the day. And I'm an hour and a half behind in my morning schedule.
See what I mean?
You get awarded with a late-start day for snow and you end up somehow doing more work rather than less. Plus, the image of that worm with the four teeth is going to gnaw its way through your brain all day as you try to get back on track.
Thank you for listening, jb
This morning, well after some kids were already waiting outside for the bus to come, we got that text that pinged all three phones at once.
Late start. Yay! It snowed a little and we're still not done with winter. It was just a two-hour delay, but it was our only snow day this year. Yay! We all thought as we slowed into snow-day routine without thinking of the ramifications of a two-hour delayed start.
First, everyone was already awake and half ready for school and work. This meant that there was no true added value to anyone except Nick who watched Jim Gaffigan on TV for an hour and a half after he got out of the shower. He'll have to make up the school work anyway. It's not a zero sum gain. It's a lose-lose even though he won't recognize it as such.
When the students lose time in school, everyone has to work harder to make it up before testing happens. Stress will go up incrementally.
As for me, I still had to nag about the garbage and the recyclables, extra since I thought he might miss the garbage truck if he waited to take it out. I still had to talk about homework status and studying for the SAT. I still had to announce the hurry-ups and the better-get-goings, only this time, they happened almost twice. Remember, we were pretty far into our routine the first time before we got the late-start texts.
I still had to make lunch, but I also had to make Nick a coffee because he said he might fall back to sleep for a while if I didn't. At the last minute, he announced that his lunch was too small. Too small. Too big. Every day I do the same thing and I still get it wrong. I had to scramble to make it right. That boy is this close to making his own lunches. This close.
Then, I had to do an extra load of laundry because the school informed Nick that the gym has a ringworm infection and his gym clothes might be infected.
Nice.
So, I'm running the dryer on extra-hot. Then, I'm going to run the clothes through the washer again just in case.
I hate having fungus, parasites, viruses, shit like that in my house. I get started looking at the Internet and get seriously grossed out. Those things have teeth? Since when do fungi have teeth? Sometimes those pictures don't actually match the search criteria, but some kind of microscopic worm with teeth is what I'd expect to see when I looked up ringworm and so there it was, along with photos of the worst case of ringworm ever seen. I can't unsee that.
Don't look that shit up on the Internet. Just don't do it.
So now, everyone has departed. The laundry is drying and almost ready for round two. I've already had my cup of coffee for the day. And I'm an hour and a half behind in my morning schedule.
See what I mean?
You get awarded with a late-start day for snow and you end up somehow doing more work rather than less. Plus, the image of that worm with the four teeth is going to gnaw its way through your brain all day as you try to get back on track.
Thank you for listening, jb
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