Ukraine Adoption

Many roles

I am the drill sergeant. I am the timekeeper. I am the game show host. Do you relate?

Every morning, I must flip on lights and shake warm sleepy children out of bed to begin their days. This is difficult on cold, dark wintery mornings. They seem to blame me for their fate: time for school. Up and out!

I am constantly reciting the time. It's 7:15. It's 7:22. C'mon! Move it. If you would have gone to bed at 9 instead of 10, you wouldn't be so tired. When you get home at 3:30 you should do all of your homework so that you can watch TV at 8. Don't forget baseball practice at 2 on Saturday. (yes, indoor). Good thing I have a watch. And a clock in most rooms. I'm fairly certain that if I didn't recite the time, that my family would just sit on the floor and stare at the wall.

I am the the game show host: You have 3 minutes to finish that juice! Can you do it? When I count to three, can you be in the car? Go! Which prize do you want, a bagel or a granola bar? Pick one. How are you doing today? Tell us about yourself.

That is my life with two kids and a husband and a cat. I told Austin last night when there was friendly resistance about going to bed (him and Tara) that maybe I should just quit trying to enforce all the rules and let them do whatever they want, and I could go in my room and read a book. He looked worried, and said, no, you can't do that. I said, why? He said, "Tara would cry."