My time, Your time, Our Time

Maybe I'm being over sensitve but at the risk of it... In the quest to learn to take care of myself and stop controlling others, I have to learn to not let myself get stressed out about certain things.

Last night I told both the kids that dad had to leave the house at 6:30 am and I needed to be to work at 7:30 am to meet up with a client who was dropping off some papers so if they wanted me to take them to school WE HAD TO BE IN THE CAR AND PULLING OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY BY 7:20 AM. That leaves me enough time to get them to school and me to get back across town by 7:30 to meet the client. Well they weren't in the car till 7:25 which meant I was late getting to work (i open) which meant the client couldn't wait around, which meant I missed them, which now means I have to go in on Saturday to meet client and get paperwork and stay and get a years worth of stuff done, which had I gotten there on time I could have gotten the stuff done today before I had to leave.. Very small business and its basically easy input and reconcilliation but they are having an audit next week they need some stuff completed for.

First let me give you some background.. #1 we live a tad less than 2 miles from the school, 1.8 to be exact, #2 the kids are 14 and 12, #3 there is a bus that picks them up on the corner at 7:15 am. I'm sure most of us that lived that close to school had to walk, there was no bus but since a portion of the path is not sidewalked I guess the school district provides a bus.

So as it is EVERY SINGLE MORNING I start the process of knocking on their bedroom doors at 6:30ish am, telling them its time to get up and reminding them not to forget that we must be out of here in x minutes I have to get to work to meet a client. Well at their ages you'd assume they would be a bit more mature and not have to be woken up again at 6:50, then again at 7am.... I'm not kidding this is the routine every single day. Generally Colin is up but lays in that bed till the very last second when your screaming ITS TIME TO GO NOW. But Caitlin forget it, she is literally not even up and falls back asleep as soon as you start to go back about getting your own morning routine done, then of course as I did at that age and any other teenage girl she has to primp for school...

So sure enough I'm running around at 7:18 shutting the lights off and locking the house down.. Colin comes out of his room, as usual no shoes on and can't find them and says why is it so dark in here.. BECAUSE ITS 7:18 AND I TOLD YOU BOTH I HAD TO BE AT WORK ON TIME TODAY TO MEET A CLIENT... Well I just have to get my shoes on, well if you would have gotten your ass up one of the other 3 times I asked you to this morning.... So anyhow I went out to the car, its now 7:21 he stolls out, then 7:25 she stolls out and everyone is pissed at me! Well excuse the fuck out of me, not only did I tell you last night it was very important I get to work on time today, I reminded you of this a couple of times this morning..

I was always taught to be respectful of someone elses time and I guess I wouldn't be so pissed about this IF it didn't happen 99% of the time BUT IT DOES more often then it doesn't.

So I'm not sure what else to do.. I've tried to talk to George about this but he allows them to get away with this. How can you expect to learn to be on time in life when you are never taught the lessons of what happens when your not.. I honestly had half a mind to just fucking leave this morning and let their asses find a way to school, but I know the turmoil that would have caused between George and I. Because by this time they would have also missed the bus and had to walk to school.

So the only thing I can think to do now and for the future to avoid myself getting stressed about someone elses actions and lack of respect of my time, is tonight the four of us will have a discussion and I will just have to tell them since you guys can not seem to find it within yourselves to be respectful of my time and the priviledge of being taken to school when a bus IS available, then I have no choice, when your dad can not drive you to school because he has to leave the house early, then on those days you will HAVE to take the bus and if you miss it you will have to walk. Its not fair that I now have to go in on Saturday because you two made me miss a client who themselves had to get somewhere and could not wait on me.

I can't control what anyone else does but I can control how I handle it and from now on I will handle it differently. I will do what I need to do and get myself to work. 99% of the time it would not matter if I wasn't there at exactly 7:30 but today it was and 99% of the time I wouldn't care but today I did.

Just curious how would any of you handle the situation... HONESTLY!