What's More Important For My Kid Rather Than Catching the School Bus?

Early mornings are a little tricky, even if you are really good at math, you will be surprised that things don't really add up in the mornings. From the time my kid wakes up to the time she is delivered to the school bus for her day in school, I don't know with what logic we work. But I have learnt one thing for sure, morning-sickness during pregnancy is God's way of preparing the mother for the morning-frenzy that follows once the kid comes to be!

So when I tell my eight year old to get up, it takes her exactly 10 minutes to get up, by then her time to be at the bus stop is just 40 minutes away. She then goes for the short-trip to toilet and forgets to get up, 5 minutes goes there. It takes her a good 10 minutes to brush her teeth, and then she has her milk in another 5, by now there are only 20 minutes before she has to be dropped to the bus stop. 10 minutes is for her long-trip to the loo. Then she gets into the shower, and gets into her elaborate school uniform, has a quick snack and I tie her two ponies and she is ready to get to the bus stop: in 15 minutes. A total of 25 minutes! But didn't we have just 20 to begin with? Still she caught the bus!!! What happened to my math????  

At the bus stop, I meet her friend's mom, she too wonders with priceless expressions and gestures in accompaniment: how she ever got her daughter to the bus stop at all. We are at loss, someone has to tell us where these extra minutes came from! It’s probably the Tooth Fairy, Tinker Bell, Santa Clause, Harry Potter, Casper-the-friendly-ghost, all of them together, or one per day in a round robin fashion, granting their wishes in vast abundance and bringing this miracle about! I don't know, but I am glad for this daily miracle. 

Let’s do a slow motion review of the morning tizzy, I know it’s hard to slow it down while your blood pressure rises even as you think of the early morning ritual. Hmmmph, but an action replay may reveal something of interest, you see I learnt it from the ingenious ‘Dangal’, it works:

Morning Tizzy 1- Now as I count the moments, the kid is counting the sketch pens, meticulously arranging her pencil box, which she should have done last evening and did not. Surely this is really important for her!! The order of her sketch pen in her pencil box is more important than getting ready to get to the school bus!

Morning Tizzy 2- As she has her milk, I look at the watch and then turn to something I was doing, packing her lunch or getting her uniform in place etc. and then I realise that she is lazily yawning and stretching after her milk, surely that is more important than catching the bus!

Morning Tizzy 3- When I ask her to get up from the loo and get on with other things, she ignores it and continues to be there. And of-course it is after-all the beginning of her day and this is important. What's the big deal with the bus and all?

Morning Tizzy 4- when she gets in the shower, she just stays there till I shout at her. Ooer! Why spoil the early morning bath for something as boring as a bus? 

Morning Tizzy 5- When she sits down to wear her shoes, she makes sure every crease in her socks is carefully removed. Her feet should touch the far end of her shoes in the right angle, or else it has to be done all over again. This one is certainly not to be compromised to catch a teensy-weensy school bus

Morning Tizzy 6- When she eats her early morning laddoo- I give her a-laddoo-a-day every morning, don't ask me why not an-apple-a-day, that too, it goes in her breakfast box. She picks on her laddoo at a caterpillar's pace and refuses to eat it as she walks to the bus stop. So she has to finish it at home, and she has to take her time doing it. Now eating her early morning treat at leisure: that far out-shines running to catch the school bus.

Morning Tizzy 7- And when she is all ready and getting out of the house FINALLY!!! She freezes still, in the middle of the room and shouts from right there, mind you, NOT as she walks out of the house, "Mamma look the doggy peed right here!!!" Now why is this not more important than running in a crazy frenzy to catch the school bus?

I wrote another piece some time back '5 Things To Do To Help Your Kid To Hurry Up and Get Ready'. Mothers have a way of believing they know how to manage their kiddos, poor dear me! Well, I am still completely out-shone by my little devil. As we parents panic around over meaningless motives, they want to just BE. We keep trying to put them in a mould, and they keep striving for that space where they can be totally themselves. While I wish she wins in this daily tug-of-war and not me, I also hope she is ready and at the bus stop in time every day! Are these goals contradictory? Oh don't start it all over again...