
The chauffeur is ready. I'm standing at the car. My toddler is strapped in, but where are my other kids? I swear I saw them leave the house. Why am I always the one that is ready? Its not my soccer practice. I feel like I am constantly trying to herd my children to get ready to go places. I think maybe I need a sheep dog. I hear my son behind me. He's bouncing a ball. "Put the ball down and get in the car, please." But he keeps bouncing the ball. "Hello, can you hear me? Put the ball down and get in the car. And by the way, where are your sisters?" He doesn't need to answer because I hear giggling from behind the other side of the car. "Tessa, get in the car. We have to go to soccer practice." Then out of the corner of my eye, I see her escape from the garage. Meanwhile, the bouncing continues. "Ball away, in the car." I demand as I walk outside the garage to find my daughter. She's now hiding in the bushes, and Em, where is Em? Its her soccer practice. I go back to the house and unlock the door. "Em, we are leaving now!" No answer. I yell at the top of my lungs, "Em, we are leaving now!" When I know she has heard me, I tell her to lock the house. I head back out to the car and now Sam and Tessa are playing handball. "In the car." This is exhausting. For once I would just like to be able to go somewhere without all of this craziness. When I say go to the car, the kids walk out and get in the car and buckle themselves in. No ball game, no hide-n-seek, just in the car. No more twenty minutes of whatever. Finally, everyone is in the car. I sit hoping for a moment of calm, but then I get, "Turn the music on!" No please! Just "Turn the music on!" Followed by. " A little louder. A little softer. Louder!" I give up!

No comments:
Post a Comment