Best Of
Links
Categories
Archives
Search
Subscribe
I went to Recipe Group this evening. Since I nominally help lead the group (i.e., I call people and remind them to attend) and the real leader said she might not be able to make it, it was particularly important for me to be on time. I tried. I tried hard. I was stressed. But I wasn’t on time.
I’ve been musing about my reasons for always being late and always being behind. Two years ago I had a newborn and I was nursing constantly. Yes, I was always late, yes, I was always behind, but observe: I am caring for an infant. This will pass. Well, infancy and nursing have passed, but lateness and behindness haven’t, not for me. Now, I have a 2 yr old and I look at those with nursing infants (unfairly I know) and think, “Oh, that’s much easier. If you put that baby down it will stay where you leave it.” My baby no longer stays where I leave her. She tears around the house doing destruction and requires an awful lot of attention. In the past couple of months, trips to the potty (and yes, I almost always have the honor of being her companion) have often been more frequent than diaper changes were in the past. And of course, she still eats many times a day, although tablefood now suits her just fine.
Something tells me, though, that when she hits kindergarten and 1st grade, I will probably still be late and behind. Because, let’s face it, it isn’t any particular stage my kids are going through, it’s me. Comparisons aren’t wise, but they are human. I noticed that my hostess had several children including a ~2 yr old (same age as Kate). Not only did she host the recipe group, she also prepared two different recipes. And she works. I was home all day. I can’t explain it.
Comments
2 Responses to “Tardiness”
Leave a Reply
Boy, I’m with you on that one. I try so hard to be on time for things, and yet I am perpetually at least five to ten minutes behind anywhere I go. However, I do think it fair to blame it on the kids. Whether they are nursing or potty training or trying to find their overdue library books at the last minute, it takes a really well-organized mother to get everyone out the door on time. I was thinking on Sunday as I was getting me and my four children ready for church (on my own, of course, since Andrew is always gone on Sundays for bishopric meetings), just how much is involved in getting everyone ready, since none of them are capable of doing it themselves. Sure, my older kids can dress and feed themselves, but that doesn’t mean they will do it when you tell them to.
I have a checklist running in my head–”Kid#1–clothes, check. Shoes, check. Hair, check. Breakfast-check. Now on to kid #2″ I know that if I don’t get the whole process started at least two hours before church starts, we will be late. Even then, when everyone is actually ready on time, there is often a last-minute thing that slows us all down. This week we spent twenty minutes looking for James’ shoes (he’s only one, so he only has one pair of shoes), which someone had put up on a shelf in the garage. We had started out ten minutes early and ended up ten minutes late. Seriously, when you have so many things to coordinate at one time (Do we have extra diapers and wipes? Snacks and/or toys to keep the toddler occupied? Five-year-old’s talk? Do nine-year-old’s socks match? Has seven-year-old messed up her hair since I styled it half an hour ago? Has toddler dumped out entire box of cereal on the kitchen floor?), it’s amazing we can even get out of the house sometimes. So, cut yourself some slack. You’re not alone!
I am in the middle of a really interesting chapter on time and how we perceive it. I hate to give you the title though, because it sounds awful. Anyway, there are two continuua, the present/future and the objective/subjective ways of perceiving time. I’m learning a lot about myself, and I think I’m learning about my husband too. OK, it’s called _Your Time-Starved Marriage_ by Les and Leslie Parrott, and it’s well-written for a self-help book.