Out of the Mouths of Babes

Twenty minutes until we have to be headed out the door

No one has eaten breakfast

My daughter's hair needs to brushed as she screams bloody murder and

Then something has to be done with hair bands

I have to at least run some water over my body and

Put some clothes on that don’t make me look like a threat to the safety of school children

One lunch has to be made and packed

Both backpacks need to be checked and put in the car

The appropriate jackets have to be selected and

The kids have to be talked into seeing the necessity of wearing them

Footwear must be selected and fitted and secured

Teeth must be brushed and

The naked boy

Who is dancing around in front of me

As I attempt to put underwear over his feet and up his legs

Needs to be dressed

Which is why I clenched my teeth and screamed

He was hoping to sit down with his metal lunchbox and

Extract his stuffed dog and his stuffed turtle’s blanket

Which is why he said

Screaming at underwear really doesn’t help anything