All I could think of this morning as I drove to work was Robert Duval’s character in Apocalypses Now yelling “I LOVE the smell of Napalm in the mornin’”
Normally Bob drops the kids off at school on his way to work, but he had to go early today for a faculty meeting. It shouldn’t be a hard thing to do. I have four able bodied children that are able to carry their own bags to the car and buckle themselves in. Should be a simple thing…..but not in the Pooligan household.
I told them as they gathered their stuff that they needed a jacket because it was cold outside. I got a chorus of “We don’t need a jacket…it’s not cold.” And out the door they went.
As I am gathering MY bags and trying to get out the door, I am nearly run over by a herd of children stampeding back into the house to get their jackets because it IS cold out there. Three of the four children go stampeding back out to the car. Carlie is in her room screaming to beat a banshee because she does not like the only jacket she can find. “Well TOUGH.” I wrestle the jacket on to her and herd her out the door…still bawling.
We get to the mini-van, and there are two car seats. One has padding and one does not. Because Carlie wouldn’t put her jacket on, Madi beat her to the van and got the “good” car seat. Carlie again starts bawling because she has the “Cold” car seat. I stop the van and refuse to go anywhere until she gets in the seat and puts her seat belt on.
In the mean time, Frank and Libby have gotten into it over something in the back seat. It escalates to Frank throwing a water bottle at Libby. I get that stopped and we proceed on to school.
Once at school, Libby does something else to Frank and he goes off on her screaming at her and throwing things at her. I told Frank that I’m not going to let him go into the school until he’s got control over himself. Our mini-van has self closing doors. He tries to dodge me and jump out the mini-van door. I push the button and shut it in his face. He opens it again, and it remains open just long enough for him to throw his trumpet case out before I get it closed again. Keep in mind; we are in the loading zone in front of the school with millions of people watching. He tries to open it again, and this time manages to throw his book bag out the door before I get it shut again. By this time I’m got him by the coat tale.
He sits down and I drive into a parking place to let him cool down before I let him go. He’s sitting their scowling, pouting and cursing. I inform him that some kid has picked up his trumpet case and is walking off with it. Frank proceeds to scream “I hate my trumpet anyway. And I hate school….and I’m not going. And I hate you too!!!”
So we sit there. Finally, I decide that I am driving him over to his school build WITHOUT his book bag and trumpet. When I put the car in gear, he decides he doesn’t want me to drive off and leave them there. So he says he’ll get out and get them. But by this time they are gone. So he goes into the school to see if someone took them inside. As he goes in the front door, the Principal comes out a side door with Frank’s book bag and trumpet. I wave the principal down and he looks at me kind of funny. I explain WHY Frank’s book bag and trumpet were lying on the side of the road. He finds Frank and gives him his stuff and sends him on his way to his building.
Oh YEAH!!!. I LOVE the sound of Screamin' in the Mornin'!!!!"
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