Holiday Shutdown
Scott Benner
Today as Cole and Arden prepared to leave for school, it appeared as though they had completely forgotten even that smallest aspect of their morning routine - and that's a good thing!
Cole overslept by at least twenty minutes and then proceeded to take a leisurely shower that did not reflect the urgency of his lateness. After fifteen minutes of coaxing, Arden was able to get out of bed, but when she appeared in the kitchen as I was packing lunches some time later - she stood before me without her socks. Arden went on to forget her CGM, supplies that she needed to take into school and the sweatshirt that she wanted, more than anything, to wear today.
This morning in our home must have closely resembled the scene that transpired just before the phrase, "You'd forget your head if it wasn't attached", was first uttered.
At first I was a little annoyed as I pressed the kids to hurry multiple times, but later as I surveyed the post-holiday clutter and formed a plan to get the house back into order, I realized that their confusion was a great thing. My wife and I had successfully created a holiday break that included a real break from reality. Children are so much more scheduled in today's world. Sports, school, friends and now social media - they hardly have a chance to stop. Well, apparently our kids stopped this Christmas season and I'm grateful that we were able to provide such a mind-numbing vacation. I don't think that I'll soon forget the sight of Arden standing, fully dressed, sans socks and saying, "Huh... I forgot my socks". Hopefully they are feeling recharged and ready to tackle the winter months in school.