Better Late Than Never

I have a wee pet peeve with my children.

Almost every morning I hear the same thing, "We are going to be late."

We leave the house at 7:20 and Harrison is dropped off at the high school around 7:30 or earlier. The bell rings a few minutes before 8.  It takes us a little longer to get to Jennifer's school because we have to actually get OUT of the high school parking lot - not always an easy task. But, I manage to still get Jennifer to her school around the 7:35-7:40 and her bell doesn't ring until 8am.

Some mornings I need to go the long way around because it is easier to turn right out of the parking lot than to cross left onto the main street which feels like a horrible game of Frogger. And if the weather is rainy, icy, or snowy - we could be sitting in that parking lot for twenty minutes or more.

Anyway.

Being late.

I have gotten to the point that I seem to snap when they say how they don't want to be late and I ask them if I have ever made them late? The answer is NO.

Well.

Okay.

Twice. 

But.

Once was way back in Pennsylvania and I had NO IDEA how long...how very, very long...it would take me to drive all the way to the high school, navigate traffic galore and then make it all the way back to the middle school.  So, my poor son had to start a new school on the first day by being late to class.  Oops. That was an awful feeling and we were never late after that. Filed under: Live and Learn.

He still brings it up.

Help me.

That was in 2009.

Get over it.

We haven't been late since.

The second time was just last year when we had a terrible snow storm and while they should have closed the schools they didn't. I truly, honestly, could NOT get out of the parking lot there were so many cars and so much traffic. People were sliding and spinning and - dear gawd - it was a nightmare. I decided to turn right and slipped and slided into the main street, fingers crossed I didn't hit anyone.

But, by the time we waited forever in the parking lot and then slipped and slided out of the parking lot and then navigated to her school we were a little late.

And so was half the middle school.

In fact, there were so many kids late that day they didn't even mark Jennifer tardy.

So, technically one tardy in what? Thirteen fucking years? Give it a rest, children and stop saying we are going to be late.

The end.