As can be the case nearing the end of school term, my exhausted children regularly come out of school and let all the gripes and complaints out at me. Yesterday, Miss Seven refused to come home, helmet on head and bag on back, determined to ride home despite my contrary instructions involving a car. Today, Master Nine frowned and wailed at the thought of having to walk up the hill, a consequence of a flat tyre this morning. I’m tired too. It’s been a big term at work for me, and we’ve all had to adjust.
Once home, I called a meeting in the lounge and presented the afternoon’s plan. The girls have trampolining class, and there’s an open day at a high school I wanted to get to. At the same time, I was happy to skip the lot and just spend the afternoon deep in books, maybe finish off a little homework, though I didn’t float that idea just yet. Unsurprisingly, there was no clear consensus. We had time on our sides, though, so we sat on it a while, grabbing afternoon tea and escaping into our own worlds to decompress some.
Before I knew it, an hour had passed and we were faced once again with making a decision. We all felt the same torment. The girls love trampolining, but Miss Seven is so tired she can barely put forward an argument either way. Miss Eleven is somewhat eager to see the high school, which would be helpful but is not yet necessary. Master Nine is happy buried in a new library book, and staying there alongside a never-ending snack would be his preference. I had hoped to get to the high school, but never intended to take all three kids along. But with hubby away, Grandma also out of town, babysitters not available, that’s not an option. I’m also suffering a touch of the guilts at the thought of not showing up to trampolining. We are stuck in an endless round of understanding each other’s opinions, agreeing in the moment with whoever is talking, then changing allegiance when the next offers an alternate idea. I am the worst, absolutely indecisive. One thing I am enjoying, however, is the civility of this endless discussion cycle as opposed to the outbursts and inability to listen of late. Seeing that time hasn’t stopped for this charming conversation, we are back to where we normally are on a Thursday afternoon - off to trampolining class.
And for the first time in weeks, we are actually on time with full water bottles, smiling faces, and Master Nine sitting alongside me finishing his homework. I wonder if we’d have gotten here the same way without all the indecision and discussion...
