This morning was one of those mornings I can only describe as a morning that my love for my children really shows through.....
On Thursday mornings my two older sons have Running Club at school. It starts 1 hour before they need to be at school, so instead of me having to load up my daughter and infant son up in the van my husband works from home for about an hour then brings my boys to school and Running Club.
About 10 mins before school opens I get a phone call from my oldest (he's 9) explaining to me that he left his homework on the table and he asked me if I could drop it off to him before bell rings (30 mins later) so that has it to turn in. Well most mornings I would be inclined to say no but today even though I was nursing my 8 month old I told him that if I could I would and if not I would just bring it to him after dropping his sister off at preschool. He wasn't happy because that would mean it was an hour late but he accepted it.
Since I was nursing my son while I was talking to him I didn't get up and go look on the table....BIG MISTAKE! Because when I was able to get up and go look I realized there was NO homework on the table. And of course there was NO way for me to tell my son this. I was NOT going to call the school and have them get him that message....it's not there job and they are busy enough dealing with other peoples problems to have to be my son's personal secretary. SOOOOO....I get my son dressed and my daughter's lunch packed, my daughter gets her shoes on and I'm ready to go to school, find my son and explain to him that there was NO homework on the table.
At this time I realize my daughter just has a sweatshirt on and it's 30 degrees out. So I ask her to please put on her coat, hat and gloves so that she can go outside at recess time today. She proceeds to put her stuff down and do as she's asked without hesitation (yeah!!!). Since I am ready she tells me she can lock the door and that I should go get her baby brother in the van. And she's pretty good at this so I do.
So we're in the van off to my older sons school, about 3/4 mile from home. Well halfway there my daughter informs me she left her backpack and lunchbox at home...so I say "great we'll go back after talking to your brother."
We get to the school, get out of the van, go in and sign in. Walk up the stairs to my son's classroom and inform him that unfortunately his homework was no where to be seen. He insists that the paper was on the table. I once again inform him his is mistaken he then realizes that he must have put it up on the bookshelf with the rest of his papers and asks me to return home to get it. I say MAYBE after I bring his sister to school and do my errands.
So back to the van we go. But of course I do have to return home for my daughter's bags so I decide to look for my son's homework. Sure enough it's right where he said it must be....UNDONE!
He never did his homework.....needless to say I did not go back to school. I know he will inquire when we see each other this afternoon at school pick up time but I will then inform him that he didn't do his homework so I was not coming back to school with an unfinished homework assignment. I also am going to use this as a perfect lesson is how as much as MOM loves him I'm not his gopher and that this was the exception not the rule...do NOT expect me to run back and forth like this when he forgets his homework. So he better make sure his homework is in his backpack BEFORE he leaves home in the morning.
I want to do this for multiple reasons. One of course is as stated above...I'm not his personal gopher when he forgets things. But more importantly....he needs to understand he's not perfect sometimes things in life don't always work out but if you plan properly the likelihood that it will work out is still there.
