Living on MST (Mommy Standard Time)
I’m a bit stressed because I have to do a telephone interview for a work project tomorrow at 8. As in 8 a.m. The funny thing is I work 8 to 5 so technically I’m supposed to be at work at 8. The brilliant thing is I’ve know for over a week these two gentlemen were saying 9 a.m. EST in their e-mail correspondence and it only hit me today that that translates into 8 a.m. CST, which is my time here in Nashville. I could actually do the phone interview from home, but between two small children and two dogs (one who is completely unpredictable about barking insanely at any given moment), I’ll be more at ease if I just get going and head on in to the office. So if you work with me, tomorrow is definitely a “skip the shampoo” day, although I will have on fresh deodorant.
Surely it’s no big deal to get to work at 8 a.m., right? We have a 15 minute grace period more or less so usually I roll in about 8:20ish. I mean I do have to drop the girls off at daycare and then drive the 8 miles or so to the office. But I used to be punctual. I used to consider tardiness right alongside other ills of society, like not opening doors for struggling pregnant women or running over little old ladies while they cross the grocery store parking lot. But now that I’m a mom I’m consistently 15 minutes late. For everything. I was talking to my neighbor last night and her 5-year-old daughter starts kindergarten in less than a month. The thing she’s worried the most about as far as the transition to kindergarten from attending Mother’s Day Out a few days a week? Getting her daughter to school by 8 a.m. So at least I’m not the only one struggling with the 8 o’clock hour.
Maybe if I practice getting to work at 8 starting now, we’ll be prepared for Caitlin to make it to kindergarten on time in a little over a year. Or maybe I’ll continue to live on MST (Mommy Standard Time) for as long as I can get away with it!
