As much as I would love to be a spontaneous, go-with-the flow momma, I have already concluded that won’t be me.
I am the organized, punctual type, and nothing is going to change that. If I have an appointment at 10 am, I absolutely hate to be late to it. Yes, I know sometimes things beyond my control happen such as a traffic accident blocking the road but even this drives me crazy. I have learned to repeat to myself that it will be okay and that I can’t control everything as I stew in the slow-moving traffic. I was once late to my daughter’s visit to the pediatrician by over an hour and a half because of traffic. The trip usually takes only 20 minutes.
Being punctual is part of me and even having kids (who are sometime difficult and unpredictable) has not changed this. I will never be fine with being late. I have already noticed that Jase is the same way. He gets concerned when he thinks we are going to be late for school though he has never been tardy or even close to being tardy.
This goes beyond being punctual. I am a planner. You can ask any of my friends, and they will certainly agree. Every weekday in the summer, I have something planned to keep my kids busy. We go to the pool, bowling, the movies, indoor play places, camps and more. I typically plan out a whole month at a time and then email people with my weekly plans, so they can join us if they want. I have friends who even bug me if I am late with an email. They know that I always have something going on. I am just not the kind who wakes up and waits to see what the day brings. If I did that, we would spend too many days just sitting around trying to agree on something to do.
Now that isn’t to say I have to plan everything. I can be flexible. My friend called up one day and suggested taking our kids for an afternoon at Six Flag Fiesta Texas amusement park. We weren’t busy, so we loaded everyone up and set off. Of course, neither of us knew the highway was closed and after sitting in traffic for an hour, we decided just to return home and have my kids play over at her house.
When we went to Disney World last year, I spent time planning out which park we would start our day at and I planned a few special meals. But in an effort to do what the kids wanted, I didn’t have any type of agenda – I am not that rigid. I wanted them to enjoy the trip, and we pretty much did what they wanted to do and went where they wanted to go most of the trip.
So would I ever go somewhere with no plan? Or throw things in a suitcase and jump in the car for a weekend away with no destination planned? Nope. That just isn’t me. But that doesn’t mean we won’t stop at a carnival in a parking lot or take a boat tour just because it isn’t on my to-do list.
Into Another World 