4:00 Jonah, are you doing your homework?
J: Um, yeah.
How many more definitions do you have to do? Oh, there's your brother's bus. Hurry up, hurry up. You have to be at school before 6:45 for your band concert. [Check email, start cutting up the broccoli, put the morning's cereal bowls in the dishwasher.
J: But my shoes hurt.
Well, maybe you should have told me about your band concert earlier, instead of me finding out about it from some random lady at the YMCA yesterday. I could have gone to Payless the other day and gotten your some new ones.
J: I don't know how to tie my tie.
We'll look it up on YouTube. Your dad won't be home in time. Hurry, hurry. [Grabbing Ian off the bus. Cracking eggs to bread the chicken. Check email.]
I: Moooom? Can I play Mega Mall Story on your iPhone?
No. Start doing your homework. I need my iPhone. I'm checking email.
I: Moooom? Can I play Nitrome Must Die?
No. It sounds like a bloody game and your teachers will think that we're abusing you. Again. Come on. Do your homework. We have to be out of her at 4:45 for the neurologist. [Check email. Answer email. Start frying chicken. Measure water for the couscous.] What time is your father coming home? He better get home early. Or at least on time. [Call Steve's office.] Where are you? Are you getting ready to leave? You need to be home by 6:30 at the latest, so you can eat some dinner and help with Jonah's tie. What? You have a 5:00 meeting? Arg!!! Well, you might not get dinner then. Bye. Kiss. Jonah, are you doing your homework? Why did you put this project off until the last minute. You should have been working on it over the weekend. [Put the broccoli in a pot with water.] I need to go to the supermarket on the way to the concert, because we're out of milk, butter, and wine. Really, really need a glass of red wine tonight. Ian, did you get green lights today at school. OK, good. Now, do your work. You have 2o minutes. Are you sick? Are you warm? You're not allowed to get sick. I have to go into the city tomorrow. [Check email.]
Apt. 11d 
But not a typical Thursday. I find that whenever we have some sort of night time event, it throws everything out of whack.
And I am so glad that my kid is not the only one who waits till the last minute to tell me she needs some sort of clothing. The other annoying thing is when I say, “Hey, S, you have a concert next week. Can you make sure your white blouse still fits?” “MOM! Of course it fits! Duh!” And then the night of the concert: “Um, Mom, my blouse doesn’t fit.”
*headdesk*
LikeLike
I also was giving the “you should have been working on this over the weekend, not leaving it til the last minute” lecture yesterday. And I consoled myself that probably half the parents (or more) were having the same thought/talk yesterday evening when it became clear how involved the project really was! I guess it’s the same everywhere!
LikeLike
Neckties are surprisingly hard. I have gone over them three-four times with my 9th grader and he still wants assistance.
Over-behind-throughtheloop-tighten.
LikeLike
Wow, aside from the neurologist, necktie and the band concert that could be my life. “I hope your father is coming home early…””Did he leave yet…” Etc.
LikeLike