Homegrown Rebellion

Someone once said that "battles are ugly business". At least I think someone said that somewhere, sometime, some movie. I can honestly say that the statement is right. I have been through battle and will live to fight another day.

This morning started out like any other morning, the birds were chirping, the trash truck was rolling on it's mission to secure and detain our waste for processing (in other words, taking it to the landfill. Not too worry, when the landfill is full it will be turned into a park or something. Okay, maybe you should worry). Anyway, I was given my orders by the Commander (my wife).

"Dear, I have to go in to the office early today. You will have to get the girls up and ready to go." she said. "can you do that?"

I said "Sir! Yes Sir!!!" Actually I mumbled under my breath "If you can do it, I can do it", the other just sounded good. Thankfully she didn't hear my mumble, it could have gotten very ugly.

She left for work and I started rousting the troops out of bed and getting their breakfast ready. I figured I could issue some orders and everything would fall into place. Not that easy.

I seen signs of a rebellion brewing when the littlest one did not want to wear the clothes that mom had picked out for her. She wanted to wear her big sisters clothes. I convinced her to at least wear the shorts that were picked out and we picked out another shirt for her. The shirt did not go with her shorts, but I figure that I would leave the fashion policing to mom. One trooper ready (as long as I can keep her from going outside and rolling around with the dog).

The next to get ready were the two older ones. The oldest likes to pick her own clothes out as well. She wanted to wear her "rock star" pants, the ones with the glittery stuff on them. She felt the shirt that her and mom had picked out the night before was not quite right. So, we had to go through her closet and get just the right one. That took what seemed an eternity. Got it done and called them into the bathroom to get teeth brushed.

I'm thinking that we are ahead of schedule, until the shoe and sock crisis developed with the middle daughter.

"I don't want to wear these shoes and I want to wear these socks, " she said with a mischievous grin.

We negotiated and reached an agreement (3 year olds are tough bargainers). We all headed out the door and got into our Expedition, the one I refer to as the family bus.

First I had to drop the two younger ones off at the sitters. Do you have any idea what it is like with three back seat drivers, all under the age of six? I had to endure the "Mommy doesn't go this way," "Daddy, you're driving too slow," "You are turning the wrong way".

I got the two younger ones into the sitters and started on my way to get the oldest one to school.

I arrived at her school and noticed that there were no cars dropping kids off, no crossing guards, no school buses and no valets waiting to let the kids out of the car. At first I thought that there was no school. Surely my wife would have remembered and told me if it were so.

I parked the car and we walked up to the front doors and we went in. I immediately went to the school office to find out what was going on. Upon entering the office door, the women at the counter said "Hello Kaity. Your teacher is waiting for you".

Of course my daughter pipes up with what is by now the obvious. "We are late."

I think that I must have had a look of disbelief. My daughter immediately says, "We are late because my sisters made us late."

"Wow," I thought, "my daughter is shifting the blame away from her dad!"

I took her to her room, passing by other students my daughters age, with my daughter exchanging greetings with each of them.

I felt pretty proud of myself for completing my mission. The only problem I was going to have, was explaining to my wife that I got our daughter to school 30 minutes late.

Hopefully I will live to fight another day.