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haven’t quite figured out when
I got sucked into the time warp that affects the consistency of my everyday
 comings and goings, but I know
that for me, it is a very tense experience and I would like to stop the ride and
get off, now. The guilt I feel for my tardiness is starting to weigh me down. In
the blink of an eye, it won’t just be myself I will have to answer for. I have
to think about my children. I have to get them to school on time. And I ‘m not
just talking about pre-school, I’m talking about “real” elementary school, where
they hand out tardy slips and detention! (You can’t get detention in
kindergarten right?)
Anyway, I feel as though if I
share my struggles with you, maybe you can give me some advice on how to correct
my problem, or rather my mindset. The issue is that when I first had my 2nd
child, I was on time for everything. Every class, lesson, play date, etc.,
because in my mind, nobody was going to tell me that I didn’t have it together
as a mother. (You know the feeling!) I spent one afternoon a week ironing all of
our clothes; I got up and everyone was dressed first thing; I always put the
girls in the car and left home early, arriving with time to spare for the
impromptu nursing or diaper changing that accompanies every newborn baby and
newly potty trained toddler. But as soon as I got into a good groove…my
meticulous time management skills simply began to slip away.
As the newness of my situation
wore off, I began to let a few minutes slide here and there, until I started to
justify not leaving the house on time with random, silly little chores, or just
with an extra sip of morning coffee. I didn’t understand what caused this lax in
my behavior. But maybe, two years later, now I do. Maybe it has something to do
with the fact that I take procrastination to an immense level. In my younger
years, I don’t ever remember a time that I didn’t procrastinate for something.
Schoolwork was always completed on time (with stellar results I might add). But,
that doesn’t mean that I wasn’t up the night before, till the wee hours, pulling
said project together. What would happen was that I would prepare to my hearts
content; researching, sorting, outlining, (all in my head) seeing the words on
paper, but never bothering to literally write them down. There was always
something else to be done. Now that I think about it…this very column is late
right now!!!
Anyway, this is a bad habit I
have let get the best of me. Now, there are some specific events that being late
for is o.k., but there are those times when clearly it is not:
| Late OK |
Late Not OK |
| Cocktail Party |
Dinner
Party |
| Playgroup |
Play Date |
|
Movie
at friend’s house |
Movie at theatre |
| Hair Appointment |
Doctor’s Appointment |
|
Trying
to get pregnant |
Trying to get
pregnant
SURPRISE!!!!! |
Do you get what I’m saying?
There is a time and a place to be late. I haven’t quite found the balance yet,
but I plan to restore myself to the woman I once was. I need to be on time. Not
for anyone else; but for me. I’ve been late for so long, being on time feels
like magic! The magic of less stress and the pride of doing what I set out to
accomplish. Plus, I’m sure the person who set the time for the activity would
appreciate having me there when asked.
Oh well, the only thing I can
do now is keep to the clock. The first step to recovery is admitting there is a
problem, even if it is a little one. Don’t worry about me…I’m sure that by the
next column, I will have corrected my little issue of chronic persistent
tardiness.
Avril Walker Shelton is a
savvy stay-at-home mother of two daughters. She has worked in the fields of
Public Relations and Higher Education.
Deemed as a "Mother on the Move,"
Avril is involved in a variety of family oriented groups.
A graduate of Marshall University, (M.A. in Counseling) and The
University of Florida, (B.S. in Public Relations), she is actively working
toward improving and empowering herself. Currently, Avril is a columnist for
Mommy Too! Magazine and author
of
Sassy Chat:
One-on-One Chats With Moms. You
can contact the Savvy Sistah at
avril@mommytoo.com
Copyright
2005, Avril Walker
Shelton
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