And they wonder why we are tardy?
Sometimes no matter what we do in the morning the kids are tardy.
lately the issue has been brought up again , and TODAY i was tempted to just let them take a free day and the absence instead of just taking another tardy because it's been made into such a big deal. WHAT IS WRONG WITH THAT PICTURE?
NOTE: we send them everyday. they are rarely absent. (only for appointments and true illness) we don't do gratuitous days off.
tardiness is REALLY EFFECTING THE STRAIGHT A's PEOPLE ARE GETTING!
or INCREDIBLY DISRUPTIVE.
it's just plain annoying because tardiness is the unforgivable sin.
you can tell certain administrators think..."GEEZ! everyone else can manage to be on time, what is wrong with YOUR family?"
we are tardy. i chalk it up to real life.
school administrators can't seem to grasp this.
keep reading...
for a glimpse into JUST THIS MORNING?!
or some common daily factors causing and contributing to being tardy and you tell me, if you can do better?
take a turn in my shoes.
here's just a GLIMPSE.
I'm pretty sure by the end you'll be thinking and ready to admit ...
A. you are exhausted just reading about it.
B. you may doubt this really happens on a given day, much less almost daily?
C. YOU THINK WE ARE IDIOTS.
D. you think you can do better?
Keep in mind i have not 1 , not 2, not 3, not 4, but 5 kids on meds for either ADD or ADHD in one form or another with varying degrees of severity.
NOW no matter where we keep the shoes(here it's the closet under the stairs), ONE person can ONLY FIND ONE of any given pair they own. if they had two the night before, they still manage to lose one.
IF someone doesn't have their homework done, they are scrambling to finish. i sign it anyway. they get dressed. i do hair. shoes on. the rush makes them frantic and less productive. i usually say screw the homework. they panic. it happens rarely. or regularly depending on the child.
someone else wanders around DAILY making annoying noises and complaining randomly about what someone else is doing instead of putting on his stinking clothes, shoes, or just wetting his hair so i can freaking comb it. this person can't seem to wash his face . brush his teeth or put shoes on by himself. he stops to eat. can't stay on task for anything. is the first to freak out at confrontation. is a stress case. DAILY.
There is always one that roams aimlessly incapable of staying on task for two minutes because his meds haven't kicked in yet. sometimes he stops to pick fights with people or just be annoying.
another genius wrote on her hand and painted her nails in magic marker and woke up with pen all over her face. she did her sisters nails too, so now we have 2 morons with marker on their face. after 5 minutes of scrubbing they still aren't clean. eventually we go for the alcohol and it comes off. lesson learned that it's not a bright idea to draw on yourself but now we are tardy. RAD.
If i lay out clothes the night before they still don't put them on.
They are distracted, eating. playing computer. just not liking that selection. hating those pants. those pants mysteriously don't fit right, when last week they did. certain ones only wear dresses. others HATE SOCKS.
someone pitches a screaming fit along the lines..."HEY! THAT'S MY SHIRT/PANTS/JACKET (even if they are outgrown)! "
OW! you pulled a microscopic hair in the process of doing my hair and i'm going to bawl for 10 minutes.
It's that time of the month, so she hates all clothes, shoes , general hygiene routines and ALL hair styling that is involved in getting ready. and we have gone through this cycle monthly since the age of 2. WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH. and I'm not talking about an adult here.
on really bad days SOMEBODY/ ANYBODY/EVERYBODY has a breakdown because he/she
A. didn't get enough sleep regardless of the time he/she is sent to bed.
B. he/she has homework he didn't finish/forgot to print/Do/get signed.
C. he's been grounded at some point in the course of the morning for piddling around or fighting.
D. for no apparent reason we can figure out
besides all that.....
- While I'm pregnant I have been up in the night no less than 5 times to use the restroom.
- I woke up on the verge of vomiting, sometimes i do vomit(which is announced and some people rush in to watch or mock), and sometimes i just fight the feeling during the whole morning rush.
- I have to put clothes on before i venture downstairs because i don't/won't have the energy to make the trek up and down the stairs to get dressed later.
- PLUS in the last week It's cold and flu season and i caught something else and am choking on snot, on the verge of puking, exhausted and wrangling a herd of wild unmedicated idiots doing my best to get them ready.
by the time i make it down.
i'm screaming for people to hurry.
i'm loudly expressing my irritation at being up and feeling ill and these people are wandering around screwing around instead of getting ready.
IF I HAND YOU A SHIRT AND PANTS PUT THEM ON!
I DON'T CARE IF YOU HATE THOSE JEANS! FIND SOME YOURSELF THEN!
WHERE ARE YOUR SHOES?
WASH YOUR freaking FACE!
BRUSH your TEETH!
WHY ARE YOU RUNNING AROUND? AND SHUT UP! SERIOUSLY HOW OLD ARE YOU?!
YOU DON'T HAVE TIME TO EAT! HURRY UP!
PILLS! TAKE YOUR FREAKING PILLS!
WHO DIDN'T TAKE THEIR PILL?
all too often Pierce is in the mix running around, distracting people. hitting. fighting. screaming or making other people scream. (i prefer him to sleep in. or relax and watch TV or play computer out of the way) HE LIKES TO RIDE ALONG (usually in just underwear or a pull up, CLASSY)
DAILY DAD is Yelling and threatening grounding while handing out pills. fixing breakfast. helping with shoes. signing papers. dropping off.
sometimes someone calls to chat with the hubs. (please take note and don't call to chat with the hubs before 8:45.)
sometimes there is a work emergency/conference call at the wrong time. emergency email in dire need of being sent off. WORK DRAMA.
at which point i'm asking....HONEY!? ARE YOU DRIVING THEM?
Now tell me. did you get this far?
admit it....
A. you are exhausted just reading about it.
B. you may doubt this really happens on a given day, much less almost daily?
C. YOU THINK WE ARE IDIOTS.
I ask you, DO You think you can do better!?!
anyone wanna take a try?
I doubt they could handle one day of my reality. much less a whole school year of it.
and , school administrators have/had....how many kids?
and in case you don't follow along here regularly. all 5 are in elementary school.
6th grade. 5th grade. 4th grade. 3rd grade and 1st grade.
Pierce is 4 and goes to preschool in the afternoon and doesn't have to be ready when the others do.
P.S. someone commented that i sound frustrated. and it depends on the day. sometimes i am and sometimes it just is what it is.
it's not always this crazy. ok it is more than it's not.
BUT other days no matter how hard we try, no matter what we do they are tardy.
it's not the end of the world.
They get good grades. (for the most part.)
They make it to school which is what i believe is more important than being on time.
we've figured out some things along the way. we try other things hoping to curb it. we've curbed it alot. but it seems alot isn't good enough. and then i consider home school .
of course that would just result in me being subjected to these people and the craziness ALL DAY instead of an hour of it in the morning.
i'll take the crazy hour thanks.
© 2010 crazymamaof6
11 comments:
Been there, done that, got a system that worked for us.
You sound really frustrated. Maybe some therapy for yourself and as a family.
Oh Julie! You just explained my mornings except I'm not preggo. I have 2 boys on meds one for ADD and the other for ADHD. It's SO FUN! You leave the room and someone is FREAKING out. He touched me,he's looking at me mouthing FAG at me. RAD! Who the ***BLANK*** cares if your kids are late. Like you said at least they are there. I had a lady last week (note:who DOESN'T have kids) that I was a very selfish mother who doesn't know how to raise her boys. I FREAKED. I told to come and live in my house for a day and then we'll talk. Peeps just need to mind their own business. I 'm the same. My kids WILL go to school dressed decent,with hair combed etc....even if they are TARDY. You're a wonderful mom and your kids WILL tell you that when they are grown.
Sounds like a day at my house but I only have one to get off to school in the morning. The other I do afternoon kindergarten. I feel your pain, I sympathize. Having 1 kid with ADD makes mornings hard, I can't imagine 5! The lack of organization on my son's part turns me into a screaming lunatic most mornings. So, hats off to ya crazymama! You are RAD and don't let the school distric make you feel any different!!
I wouldn't wish your mornings on anyone! Hopefully things will get better as they all get older. In the meantime...don't let the administration get to ya!
Too bad your kids don't go to our school. We start at 8:53...it would probably help having the later start time.
A. definitely A. final answer.
xoxo,
I only have 4 and the younger three are pretty much tardy a lot too.
Ok, I have to defend the administrator here. Having been on the other side (i.e. the teacher), you're right, it isn't the end of the world if a student is habitually tardy. But it is a disruption. You talk of having to herd 6 kids all day long, imagine what it is like to have 32 (it's no longer less than 30 anymore because of education budget cuts!). Anyway, yes, not all 32 are ADHD, but in any given class there are probably a few, coupled with the few in special ed, mixed in with students of differing personalities. You get the idea. When you are trying to keep the attention of these 32 kiddos and 1 of them comes in the middle of it, drawing all eyes to him/her, it is a distraction. Not the end of the world, but it does hinder your ability to teach, which is what you are there to do. Yeah, it won't affect their grades, but it's just a little annoying. I feel your pain Jules. I'm not saying you have an easy life, but just consider the teacher on the other end who's trying to hold it together with his/her measly paycheck. It's a two way street!
Absolutely sounds exhausting. Good luck! I only have to get 3 out the door and that's crazy enough- especially now that I have to get me ready for work while they're getting ready for school.
Don't worry. You're a great mom. Some school administrators are too full of themselves. :)
sounds rough...like seriously. i could not live like that,,,heaven help me if we do end up with our dream sibling group or multiples.
You do sound frustrated. Sounds like you could use some help designing a system that works for the individual members of the family. Five kids and one of the way. I can't imagine! But... I have to agree with Nancy, both from the teacher's point of view and the administrator's point of view. Tardies do make a difference. We all have to respect our deadlines. We all know when school starts and what's expected of us. You just do what you have to do to make it happen. And yes, I do know what it's like. We had 4 in school until two years ago (one graduated). We may not have had the same issues, but we had our own issues. It's frustrating, but you just gotta find a system that actually works. Otherwise, everyone's miserable and short-tempered. I hope as they get older, it gets better for you.
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