Getting to School.

My brother Jeff and I have trouble working together. Not because we don’t get along well, but because we are both a bit disorganized in the morning, and I suspect we just aren’t morning people. I’m always running late on my way to Rufus and Franklin’s house. I get up in the morning, stumble to the shower and hurry through getting ready (which usually involves me putting my hair in a sloppy pony tale and putting on sweat pants). I do not look my best when I go over there, but I’m neat and clean so I just don’t worry about it.

This past year, Rufus started preschool. It has been my job to get him out the door, teeth brushed, shoes on, clothing neat, hair combed and back-pack in hand.

This is easier said than done.

As I mentioned, I am not a morning person, but since it was my job to take Rufus to school, I decided I couldn’t go looking like a slob. I found some of my nicer long sleeved t-shirts, jeans and halfway decent tennis shoes and started wearing that- made more of an effort to do my hair and make-up so I didn’t walk into school looking like hobo.

As I have mentioned in the past, I am not a parent, but taking Rufus to school the first day was one of the hardest things I have ever done. He cried. I cried. Franklin cried because he was too little to stay at school. I called Jeff sobbing and almost didn’t make it through. For an entire week, the scenario played over and over in my mind, and I’d get so upset. Aunts are supposed to be fun- supposed to spoil their nieces and nephews and play with them, not make them do hard things. I was so worried Rufus would never forgive me- but he did. It might have helped that I bought he and Franklin $60 worth of Lego’s to apologize and had them waiting in the car for him when school was over- I never said I was above bribery.

But the second time I took him, Rufus was brave- fearless even. He marched right in, took his teachers hand, and only looked back once to smile at me. I was forgiven- just like that. I was so proud of him.
However, getting Rufus and Franklin out the door is always a challenge. Franklin always needs a toy and his Woobie. Woobie is a square blanket, about a foot wide and long, fuzzy, yellow one side, green on the other, with different colored silk pieces about an inch thick around the edges. Franklin adores Woobie. He talks to it, refers to it as ‘him’ and takes Whoobie everywhere. He also puts it in his mouth for some reason and sucks on it, which is admittedly gross, but it makes him happy so I figure its fine. As a direct result, Woobie stinks. Jeff and Beth try to wash him as often as possible, but parting Whoobie from Franklin is difficult.
Brushing teeth is also a problem. The boys forget to brush and use this time to tell me tall tales instead.

Rufus: Aunt Char-char, know what? This one time when I used to live by myself when I was little, I used my big-wheel you put together for me to drive to the store and buy all red Jelly-bellies. Then I fed the Jelly-bellies to the ducks because they were so tired of bread.
Franklin: Me too! I helped, but I used all the different colored Jelly-belies to feed to the ducks because they like the different ones.

Me: Then what happened?

Rufus: (thinking) well, well…that’s it really. We came home and made peanut butter sandwiches.

Me: Yeah? I thought you joined a circus and became the Fabulous Fronzini Brothers! You fed jelly-beans to all the animals in the circus, especially the lions! The crowd loved it when you fed the lions, and they cheered for you!

Franklin: (jumping up and down) that’s exactly what happened! We forgot!

Although VERY fun, conversations like these make us very late for school. All the other parents come in and seem to have it together. I have never felt like I just had it- until last week. Now, Beth is on maternity leave and I don’t have to take the boys to school today. It figures. I finally figure it out- and by the time maternity leave is over for Beth, school will be over. Oh, well! I guess there’s always next year!