There's a life lesson in here somewhere and I'm not sure it actually has much to do with potties or shoes or leaving extra time for such things

I have been a mother for over four years and the mother of two children for over two of those years. My days of tossing a purse over my shoulder and heading for the door ought by all rights to be nothing but a distant memory by now. We leave the house at least once a day, often more, so that probably means I've gone through the "getting everyone out the door" motions with two children in tow at least what, 750 times now? That's at least 750 times that I've been "surprised" by a missing shoe, a last minute potty trip, a dawdling child or my own inability to locate my keys. That's at least 750 times that I've underestimated how long it will take to walk the 5 feet from the garage door to the car door and buckle my children in. That's at least 750 times that I have been late to my destination.

"I should have left earlier," I think every single time that I back out of my driveway, silently cursing whichever child has made us late this time. I grumble and I fume and I curse the 25 mph road that lies ahead of us as I vow to build more time into my schedule, to expect the unexpected. And then the next day, I do the same thing all over again. Time sneaks up on me, my kids fail to see the urgency of the hour and we all end up grumpy and rushed. And late. Again.

I get annoyed at my children when they do the same foolish things over and over and over again. I find it hard to believe that Evan's bladder only calls when he sees me putting my coat on and it drives me nuts that Julia misplaces her shoes with such frequency. I am impatient for both of them to learn what seem like some terribly obvious life lessons. Use the bathroom when I suggest it, rather than waiting until the last possible second. Put your shoes in the same place every time you take them off so that you'll be able to find them again. They're simple enough things to learn, and I am surprised anew each day by my children's inability to grasp such obvious lessons. But leaving a little extra time for life's inevitable this-shouldn't-be-a-surprise-by-now surprises? That is much, much harder lesson to learn... or so my actions would imply.