The Do Over Day

Sometimes, a Tuesday morning doesn't go as planned, or even as usual. The toast doesn’t just burn; the toaster catches fire. It’s school spirit day, but no one can find the right spirit-showing shirts, hats, socks. Someone is touching someone else, or singing or just looking the wrong way. And by the end, a modern mother could find herself yelling something along the lines of, "I don't care who did what to whom, just get out the door! Now!" She might have lost her cool, her temper, and her marbles but at least she used correct grammar.

Then, just as the kids scuttle off to school, the modern mother regains her equanimity, only to be consumed by profound regret. "Wait!" She wants to call after the bobbing backpacks. Wait! Let's start over without the frustration and bickering. Let's have a happy morning or even a typical morning (with grumbling and a forgotten lunch box or two.) Let’s just rewind and do it over.

Luckily for her, of course, she’ll have hundreds more chances to usher her children out of bed and off to school. But in the moment of ringing silence after they are out the door, knowing this does little to staunch her remorse. A trying day might seem endless, but the days of childhood are finite, or, as the adage goes, the days are long but the years are short. This modern mother is not foolish enough to believe she can make all days perfect, or even pleasant, but she can’t help but want to try. She can’t help but try to prevent another do-over day. 

*image from Snazzy Style