Sometimes I think my greatest achievement in life might be making all the Other Mothers feel better about themselves.
My excuse is that life’s manic. I have a proper job (journalism) and I’m a single parent. Somewhere in the gap between those two roles I write this blog, I do the top 100 index, I edit the Great Toy Guide, and I take on occasional training, PR and copywriting clients. Sometimes I might even catch a glimpse of the chap, as I am obliged to refer to him online.
All of this is of course just preamble to the fact that yesterday? I forgot to pick up Flea from school.
I know. It’s not good, is it?
I’m not sure how it happened. It was a really busy day and I’d missed breakfast and lunch, so my body clock was all screwy. So I think I just didn’t register the time passing, until I casually looked at the clock on my laptop and thought, “Ooh, it’s 15.55, that means it’s, erm, let’s see now, it’s – oh my holy crap, it’s five to four!”
I’m supposed to collect Flea from school at 3.45pm.
The school is six miles from our house and with a fair wind and no pensioners on the road, it’s an eight minute drive. Friends, yesterday? Was not that day. I got stuck behind a pensioner in a white Metro doing 26mph in a 60mph zone. Seriously. I overtook him only to find myself behind a sodding tractor. Ugh.
Fortunately, Flea’s school runs a late room for the benefit of working parents – Flea’s a regular attendee – so the teacher had simply taken her through to late room, where she was being entertained by a second year who was showing all the reception kids her tooth, which had fallen out that day. No harm done, then.
And I’m sure God will forgive me for muttering, “Hello. Erm, sorry I’m late – car trouble. Are you ready, Flea?” as I poked my head around the classroom door
Gah- nightmare. Isn’t it always the way that traffic is against you when you are in a hurry?
It happens to us all at some point so you’re not alone. I now have an alarm on my mobile phone set for 5 minutes before I need to be out the house, so that I don’t forget. I found if I set the alarm for 10 minutes before I used to convince myself I could squeeze in a couple of extra minutes, then I would look up and find it was time to leave the house NOW!
I’ve done it the other way as well. Turned up to collect Ami from school and started to get mildly worried when Ami didn’t come out of class. I went to talk to the teacher only for her to point out Ami goes to French club on Thursday, it was Thursday, and she’d already taken Ami to the club room. How silly did I feel?
oh no! It probably happens to us all.
I’m sure every parent has been there at some point or another – you’re doing a great job, and anyway everyone knows that single parents rock!
I think Ava’s hoping I will forget one day, so she might get taken to Kids Club. They seem so much less bothered than us…
Oh you poor thing – how hideous. I worry about doing this every day – seriously. I always think it’s just about to happen, but I always manage to get there in time. Not quite sure how! I can’t imagine how you must have felt when you relaised the time. Hope you’ve recovered! But, back to the beginning – how on earth do you manage to get everything done? Superwoman doesn’t even do it justice xx
The other day I came in at 11.30pm, after a few beers, walked straight into the bedroom, switched on the bright light and started loudly unpacking my football kit and shouting nonsense to my other half. Then I realised my four-month-old son was, obviously, asleep in his cot. I don’t want to say I forgot I had a son, but…
I’ve done that, and I don’t have a job. Shit happens.
Oh Gosh I am sure that it will happen to me. I just get so involved with stuff! So good there was that after school prgram! Phew – you do a lot of stuff momma!
I’m just waiting for the day this happens to me. Won’t be too long I’m guessing.
My parents forgot me and my sister at Sunday School a few times, we just hung out on the swings until they remembered and turned up. I think they were a bit too, err, busy. I should be traumatized, being left at church so my parents could have a roll in the hay.
Awww, you are one busy mummy so don’t be so hard on yourself. It’s happened to all of us at one time or another.
Thank you so much for making our family feel more normal – can’t manage to get to school on time even with all in our favour – you are not alone – the number of times I’ve gotten a phone call from my daughter asking if she should go to school after care is slowly reaching its way to double digits…sigh…we need an extra 5 hours in the day…no mum guilt though ok, you’re human :)and very amusing to read – thank you for sharing.
Bless you, I bet you more worried then Flea! Trust me you’re not a bad mother until you pop out shopping and end up clubbing until 3am (not me by the way!! My Mother!)
V. glad to hear you aren’t the only newbie mum who already knows where the late room is… Do you think they (‘they’ being the powers that be/PTA committee?) keep a tally of who goes there and how frequently? Not that it’s something that’s passed through my mind at all…