Me!I have to say that today, I was not a good mom. I was a neglectful, impatient, grouchy, and altogether awful person, and my poor kids just happened to get in the way. I was so grouchy, in fact, that I decided I needed to shut my eyes for 10 minutes in the afternoon just to revive myself enough to be nice again. Just 10 minutes. Right before I was supposed to leave to get Little Ray from school. I figured I would somehow just instinctively know to wake up in time to go get her. Or Tony P. would wake up and I would hear him. Or Missy Mae would want to stop watching Treehouse and wake me. I just knew that somehow, I would get to the school by 3:20. So I was more than a little panicked when I woke up at 3:30. Immediately I called the school and had them page Little Ray, who at the best of times is slightly disoriented and unaware of her surroundings and was, I was sure, in more of a panic than I was. Then I threw the kids in the van and raced to the school, trying all the way there to rub out the very obvious sleep lines that were covering my entire right cheek. I ran to the office, grabbed her out of there without even saying thank you to the secretary (due to the sleep lines, not my lack of gratitude), and tried to explain to her that mommy never ever would leave her at the school without someone to pick her up, and that I was so sorry and I promised it would never happen again. There were a whole series of events that lead her to eventually finding the office, including her being lost and running to all the outside doors of the school, only to find them locked. None of these events make me look any better as a mother, I know.
She has since forgiven me, and after talking it over in great detail at the supper table, I am convinced that she won't have any permanent emotional scarring from the experience. That doesn't negate my feelings of guilt, however, and I have vowed that from now on, I will be the first parent in that parking lot when it is time to pick up kids from school...just as long as I don't fall asleep.
I was 3 minutes late once picking Nali up from dance, she still hasn't forgotten. That was two years ago!
ReplyDeleteGlad I'm not the only parent who is in the running for the POTY!
Funny post for me to read today as I was late picking Laela up from her kindergarten class. I also felt guilty but she didn't seem too concerned. She was sitting in the office watching the fish swim in the aquarium when I picked her up and I think she would have preferred to watch them a bit longer.
ReplyDeleteUmm this made me laugh - for more than one reason. #1 I could so see myself doing this #2 While at the pediatricians office with Benson last week, he fell off the examine table. (while the ped. was in the office). The worst part was that I had brought him in because he was limping and we thought he might of sprained/something worse his ankle. The ped. looked at me like gee Mrs Laycock I don't know how your son would sprain his ankle under your care. I felt like the worst parent on earth that day and I am waiting for child protective services to show up at my door as we speak.
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