Timing is Everything

Usually the afternoons go pretty smoothly. Yesterday, however, there was a small hiccup in the flow of things.  I didn't really think anything of it.  The baby is having a bout of diaper rash and screams to be changed immediately.  So, I looked at the clock and determined that since the bus for my Kindergartener  doesn't get to the corner for another five minutes, I could change the diaper before I left.  There is nothing worse than listening to your child scream in pain.  I did a quick diaper change and left the house four minutes later than usual.  The bus stop is at the corner of my yard, it's not like it's down the street.  When I walked outside, there was a veritable traffic jam at the corner.  I ran to the bus and explained what happened.  The five cars behind the bus were honking at me.  As I began to walk to the house, I heard the kids on the bus calling for the other boy who uses the bus stop.  Apparently they sent him to knock on my front door, but I walked out the back.  So I had to gather the neighbor kid before I could take my boy home.  All the while, my son is yelling at me, "Ma, next time just bring the baby to the bus stop naked.  She (the bus driver) is allowed to see him naked.  It's OK.  So next time you have to do that".  It would have been cute had the entire neighborhood not been honking at me.  

I had no idea that they wouldn't let him off the bus if I wasn't there.  What do they do when a parent isn't there at all?  I've never been late before and I don't plan on being late again.  I think I'll change the baby in plenty of time from now on.  Of course it's just my luck that the one day I take a few minutes, is the one day she gets there early.

I plan to erase the event from my memory.  Y'see, I am not a thin woman.  Since I realized I was running low on time, I didn't have a chance to put on my other shirt.  So, I ran all jiggly like to the bus stop in a tank top (with no over shirt) shorts and flip flops.  I suppose it would have been fine had it not been a tank with a built in and very useless bra.  I was flopping around like water balloons.  That's about all the work out I can stand by the way.

So, as I said, I will swiftly rewind and erase the moment my entire neighborhood was exasperated and watched me flop myself in virtual slow motion to the bus stop to pick up my kid who demanded that I drag my naked screaming one to the bus anyway in order to never be late again.  


The joys of parenting never cease.