EVERYTHING
FOR YOUR FAMILY
KID
QUIPS
During last July’s 5.8 earthquake, 3-year-old Bronwyn told her 1-year-old sister, “We’re going for a wiggle.” READ MORE
Mother Knows Best
|
||||
|
Few things disturb the peace and tranquility of my world as much as hearing the dreaded words, "Oh, by the way..." Nothing good ever seems to follow them. Inevitably this lead-in is trailed by a bombshell such as, "...I need a library book for school tomorrow." This statement, of course, usually comes just as I am finally exhaling at the end of another hectic day - one in which, I might add, I had already BEEN to the library and could have picked up the book had I known about it prior to nightfall. We hop in the car and on the way to the library, and my son hears the 11th-hour lecture. "Don't you think you could have told me a few days ago? Or, at least before bedtime?" On the way back, he hears it again. "You've got to plan better." All to no avail. A few days later, as I'm leaving for work with an action-packed day ahead, I'm told, "Oh, but the way...it's team picture day and I need to wear my baseball uniform to practice this afternoon." He might as well have pulled the pin on a grenade. My crammed, but still doable day just exploded as I dropped everything to dig the uniform out of the hamper, throw it in the wash and pray that it would dry in time for practice. I know. I know. I can hear you now. "They'll never learn to plan ahead if you always jump in to bail them out." You're probably right. My problem is that it seems as if these last-minute "oh, by the way" requests always involve something important. Would you really want your child to be the only kid who isn't in the team photo because YOU refused to wash his uniform? Or would you want him to be the only child at school without a library book because YOU just refused to take him to get one? I keep waiting for a less-urgent situation in which to teach this lesson of preplanning, but so far, each time, the event or occasion is something I don't want him to miss out on. Like those class cupcakes I was told he had committed me to, the night before he was to bring them to school. Or the team snack I heard about on the way to the game. Eventually, I'm sure he'll learn the virtue of planning ahead. In the meantime, I plan to continue to help out in short notice. Why? Because I know he appreciates it. The other day, after discussing with my son the long list of things he had to get done that day, I heard, "Oh...by the way..." I cringed. But, this time it was followed by, "I love you." Kimberly A. Porrazzo of Lake Forest is a senior writer for Churm Publishing, Inc. and author of "The Nanny Kit." The award-winning columnist writes Mother Knows each month. She can be reached at: kimberlyporrazzo@cox.net. |
||||
RSS Subscribe
Digg This ArticleSEARCH THE SITE
