Tuesday and Wednesday evenings are not my favourite times of the week. The complex schedule of dance classes our girls undertake means I quite often am at risk of meeting myself coming back. Or, at the very least, forgetting to collect one of the girls.
I’m not sure which would be worse; forgetting one of my own children or causing a rift in the space-time continuum!
Us parents don’t half like to do this to ourselves though, don’t we? As if life weren’t complex enough we get our children into all sorts of extracurricular activities. This undoubtably eats into our (already precious little) free time.
Honestly, I don’t think I would have this any other way. I look back on my own childhood and reflect. Asside from a brief stint at Beavers and then later on 2 nights a week at the RAF Air Training Corps. I didn’t do much outside school. Now that I consinder myself a runner I have a bit of regret that I wasn’t into a sport in some way during those early years of my life.
At the opposite end of the day, things cn be just as complex. I am often charged with sole responsiblity in a morning and I will be the first to admit that I am prone to the odd bout of forgetfulness.
Take Monday, earlier this week. I forgot that both D and V needed to take their cornets for lunchtime band practice. Yes, I would love them to take responsibility and remember themselves that they need this key piece of musical equipment, but I have to fall on my sword here and say the buck stops with me.
The next day, that would be Tuesday, D again needed her cornet. This fact was remembered three-quarters of the way to school. So, I sent them on their way, meeting up with a clutch of friends, and I returned home. I collected the errant cornet and then marched back to school.
On my walk back to work I realise that wasn’t the only thing I’d forgottern. D needed some money for an after school sports club – doh!
At lunchtime, I set off from work to school and handed over the money to the receptionist. V spotted me from the dining hall and came bounding out to inform me (rahter gleefully, if you ask me) that D’s band practice wasn’t on today!
That’s karma for you!
On the plus side, I was up to over 6000 steps by the time I got back after my lunch break and that’s without a dog walk or run.
Every cloud and all that…
D