Day 2: Mothers and Alarm Clocks

I went to bed at 12:30 a.m. I was hanging out with family. Church was at 10:30 a.m. I assumed husband would get me up. He assumed he would get up. Nobody set an alarm.

We got up at 10:50 a.m. My initial reaction was, "Why didn't my mom get me up?"

Probably because I'm almost thirty, married, with two kids. But still. Something inside me still wants my mom to know what's best for me, and to impose her wisdom upon me by yelling "Time for church!" up the stairs.

Instead, I have a mother who teaches by example. She was in bed far before 12:30 a.m. She was probably up by 6:30 a.m., so she could get in the (only) shower before everyone else bottlenecked in the bathroom. She starts coffee and puts out breakfast foods.

Compare that picture of the Proverbial Wife of Noble Character with this one: this mom goes to bed later than she should. She usually lacks the eight hours of sleep necessary for civility and kindness. She soundly sleeps as husband gets up for work at 4:00 a.m. and leaves at 5:30 a.m. She might hear daughter eat breakfast by herself at 5:30 a.m. and incoherently ask something nit-picky like, "How much cereal did you take?" before falling back asleep. Daughter is now in the habit of approaching mom's bed for mom's approval of her lunch (which she packs herself), her apparel, and to sign her school planner. Sad to say, there have been mornings where both kids leave at 7:30 a.m. and all they get is a muffled, "Change the world!" from the bedroom.

Once upon a time, the family did "Family Breakfast" at 5 a.m. It involved breakfast, mandatory family attendance, and a devotional. It was good. Daughter loved it. Teenager sort of hated it, but attended. I liked the idea of it. But at times, lacked the discipline to enforce it as much as I should have. When husband had to leave at 5 a.m. (vs. 5:30 a.m.), Family Breakfast came to an end. We could re-institute family breakfast, because husband leaves at 5:30 a.m. again. Pro: it is a wonderful concept: everyone gathered around the breakfast table to talk, eat and pray. Con: I have much more quality conversation with teenager late at night then early in the morning. Maybe it should just be instituted a few days per week.

Well, it is now 11:15 p.m. I need to get to bed. Tomorrow is the first day of clerking, and I need to be there by 11:30 a.m. I will be there at 11:15 a.m. Since I will be driving, I will need to leave 20 minutes to walk from the parking ramp to the office, and 1 hour 15 minutes for the commute. Therefore, my goal is to leave home between 9:30 and 9:40 a.m.