Why I Allowed Carsyn To Be Late For School Today

I know I'm not the only person who rushes out of the house every morning, with only minutes to spare. Every dang day... Where's your backpack? Put on your coat! Did you really brush your teeth? Get your shoes on! Drives me bonkers.

Today, as we are scrambling to get everything together, I decided that I was over it. Over doing everything for my five year-old child. She couldn't find a pair of matching shoes and starting blaming it on me. Oh, no, you didn't. I mean, if you are capable of navigating your way around my iPhone, you can surely find your left red boot.

So,  I quit. I sat on the couch and told her it was her responsibility to take care of her own things. We wouldn't be in this predicament if she would just put her shoes in her closet like I tell her EVERY SINGLE DAY! (Whew, I already feel better.) To say she was stunned is an understatement, almost hurt her feelings, really. So, she started looking. Ten minutes later, she finally found a matching pair of shoes. I knew what was going to happen next, but she didn't.

She was late for school. Between you, me and the fencepost, I wanted her to be late. Does that make me a bad parent? I sure don't think so. Seriously, in other countries, five year-old kids are balancing water jugs on their heads to help out and you can't put your shoes up? Get outta here with that!

After the secretary handed her the bright yellow tardy slip, she looked up at me... terror. Yep, she was scared and a little embarrassed when she walked into class. Now, I'm not one of those parents who thinks embarrassment is a great parenting tool, but today, it unintentionally worked.

Tonight, we will rearrange her closet and get her more organized. It's a natural inclination as a Mom to want to be needed, am I right? But, not only are we hurting ourselves with this mindset, we're also hurting our children. I bet you can think of an adult that can't seem to do anything without instruction or help from someone else. Drives you crazy, right? Well, I don't want my daughter to be that adult. So, it's time for a little more responsibility, on both our parts. Let's start small, with shoes. I'll still be in charge of making breakfast, but everything else in our morning routine is on you, sister.

PS. I love you and this is for your own good. (Cannot believe those words just came out of my mouth. My own Mother is laughing at this, I can bet you that, ha!)