It's 5 PM. Do You Know Where Your Children Are?

At 5:00 I still have to go out five more times today. Pick up, oops forgot my sneakers- drive back to school to get them, drop off, drop off, pick up, pick up. Wait, that's six times. It's unbelievable how much gas I use driving in circles.  From one school to the other and back again. "Mom can you drive D, G  and J home too?" Sure! What's three more kids in my car! Especially when I have exactly 10 minutes to pick up my daughter, but now have to drive home three other kids who have to be somewhere else in 20 minutes. Are you following me yet? 

Every afternoon is a whirlwind of activities, in the suburbs that means driving and carpools. It requires precise timing and ingenuity to get our kids where they have to be, especially if it's at the same time.  We have to be master jugglers - timing homework, snacks, dinner, and (occasional) showers around the various activities that take up our children's afternoons and evenings.  

We all say we don't want to over-schedule our kids, but it just happens. But, they are involved in sports, community service, and theater. They certainly could be doing worse things.  

Best of all in this chaos, they enjoy it. They have chosen their activities, and as their parent I have chosen to support them.  Which means I regularly invest in Mobil and Hess, and sometimes McDonalds. 

I really don't mind driving them around because they really want to be doing what they're doing.  It is exhausting though. Sometimes the thought of getting in my car one more time with a bunch of smelly, screeching kids makes me, well...I've learned to tune them out.  At the end of the day, it's all good. Then we get to wake up and start over again.

When my children are grown will I miss this part of parenting? Probably.