My daughter in law is having some outpatient surgery this morning so my granddaughter stayed at my home last night. She was as enjoyable and fun as always but this is the first time she has stayed with my wife and I on a school night. Thank God she did her homework before coming over. Denise and I have forgotten how much work it is to get a child up from bed, dressed, fed, and ready for school. Everyone got out of bed on time and we all got dressed. Before leaving the house we made sure everyone had their lunch bags and Chloe had her backpack. We decided to stop at Dairy Queen for breakfast. On the way to school Chloe gave me two options. Her preference was to take my wife to work first and her to school last. When I explained that was impractical, she gave me her second choice which was for me to drive really slow. I faked her out on that one. When we finally got to school I walked her inside, signed her in, gave her a hug, and then sadly watched as she walked into the sea of other children. My granddaughter is growing up quickly and becoming more independent. This is tough for an overly protective grandfather who wants her to stay exactly as she is now. When my wife and I were finally on the way to our offices, she remarked “There’s been way too much conversation this morning”. Normally Denise and I barely speak in the mornings. It’s not because we are mad at one another. Like many long time married couples we have created our own special language for mornings that is basically a series of grunts and other sounds. On top of this every morning feels like the movie “Groundhog Day”. All of our activities and routines seem like a carbon copy of every other work day mornings. My hat is off to all of you who still have young children and who must go through this ritual every morning. I did my time for many years but it’s been a while. I am definitely out of practice.
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