Working Mother Mornings

Typically I have good mornings as a working mom.  I know that we all have our routines, and that mornings can be rough for everyone.  A typical morning looks like this:

6:15ish- wake-up
Jump in the shower

6:25ish- get out of shower
turn on hot water
make bagel or muffin
make crock-pot dinner if making

6:35ish- finish getting dressed

6:40ish- get out the door to pick-up carpool

7:15ish- Working Dad wakes up
7:25ish- after getting dressed he wakes up EG
7:40ish- they leave the house to get to school
7:45ish- Working Dad departs school for work.

Since I carpool and my commute is a killer we have to get out early. My ideal time to be on the road is actually 6:35am, but we virtually never make that.  We usually get to work just after 7am, and then I work until 4pm, so I can go and pick-up EG and have more time in the evenings with her.

This is, of course, assuming that the morning goes well.

Then there are those working mom mornings.  Yes, everyone has hard mornings, and this isn't a 'my world is harder than yours' type of post.  But goodness- it sucks sometimes.

When little EG wakes up somewhere around 6:20am- before I get in the shower, but not get out of the house.  She starts to scream for mama, clutching her little blanket with tears in her eyes.  About 20% of the time I'm able to go into her room, shush her, tell her Daddy will be with her shortly and she'll go back to bed.  The other 80% though...they don't go well.

It's totally heartbreaking to have to leave your child in bed with her father only to have her screaming out for her mama.  While you try to get your morning started- showering, putting on make-up and jewlery, etc.

Sometimes I take her into the shower with me- which goes better for her, but often makes me late.

This morning was just so sad.  She still has a sore and scratch throat, and hearing her little cries for me- gut wrenching.  Working Dad is good- he tells me to make a break for it, to do my thing and get moving.  With a carpool partner waiting on me it's usually good motivation, since it's not just me who will be late for my job.

I shudder to think how our mornings will have to change when EG wants to dress herself- or coming much sooner- when she needs to use the potty in the morning when she wakes up.  My dear husband is a machine.  He has a routine and as long as it's followed everything is okay.  Throw in a wrench, and it's all over.

I don't know if it would be easier if I stayed at home.  Certainly while we were on vacation I realized the challenges of getting out of the house when you all wake-up at the same time.  Showering then becomes a different sort of challenge.  But on mornings like this I would just like to have those few extra minutes- to calm her in bed.  To know that she's okay.  To not walk out of the house to her unhappiness...