Robin has a thing about not wanting to be late,
especially for school. With the multiple buzzers warning of tardiness,
the children rushing in chaotic masses, and the possibility of
embarrassment if she comes in after Oh Canada, it all gets Robin pretty
worked up. So she tries to hurry her sisters and micromanage their
morning to decrease her worries. Which has the opposite effect than what
she’s after, with the kids slowing down to squabble rather than taking
care of their own tasks.
To mediate her anxiety, I do my best to talk in a soft voice and tell her that we still have lots of time, we will be on time, and other things that I know are really bandaid platitudes to get us to the car without everyone being too upset. Humour and other methods are good too, but some moments have no time for that.
As this morning was the first day back to school in two weeks, we were all out of routine. The kids seemed to have woken on the wrongs sides of their beds, and at times I felt like a prison guard just holding back the animosity of three rival gangs. Robin was composed when I was around, but every time I left to get something I would come back to her prompting her sisters to rush in one way or another.
To our credit, we got to the van with very few meltdowns of despair. A few reminders of “please just look after yourself” and “yes we do need to wear mitts in the winter” got us out the door. I could feel the tension in the car as everyone was holding it together wailing in agony of being late or of being harassed by their sister to try not to be late.
I started the van, took a deep calming breath, and turned on the radio. “THERE’S NO TIME LEFT FOR YOU!!! NO TIME LEFT FOR YOU!!!” The Guess Who sang.
“Not helping!!” Robin said but then began to laugh.
“SERIOUSLY song??” Ollie added between giggles.
“No time for WHAT?” Sydney asked.
“Even the radio is against us!” I joked and we pulled out of the garage with everyone in hysterics.
After getting two blocks away I realized we forgot to bring Ollie’s indoor shoes back after the winter break. I stopped the van and looked at the girls.
“We gotta go back and get your school shoes Ollie,” I said over the music as it blared “GOT GOT GOT GOT NO TIME!!!”
“But there’s no time!” Ollie goofed.
“This is the worst song for us!” Robin managed to say between tears of laughter.
We quickly grabbed the shoes and headed out for a second time. All the while The Guess Who serenaded us with “I GOT NO TIME FOR YOU WOMAN!” and “I GOT NO TIME FOR HANGIN’ AROUND”. Our morning’s tension was blasted away by Winnipeg style classic rock.
I pulled up next to the school and the kids got their bags. They headed out with happy goodbyes. We arrived at 845, a full 10 minutes before the first bell. Like we do every time.
