Why Mothers Drink

The children get off the school bus at 2:35 p.m. and walk down the road to the house.

We then have the following routine:

-deposit backpacks and lunch boxes on counter in kitchen
-change into play clothes
-find school clothes for the next day
-assemble gym clothes if necessary
-snack
-homework
-get homework checked
-chores
-play time if applicable
-supper
-after-supper chores
-reading
-baths/pre-bedtime routine
-bed

This has been the same routine for five years now.

However, we lack the cooperation of all the participants. Rocky will sit and eat his snack, taking forever, and rubbing the pretzels or raisins or whatever in his fingers until I finally snap and take the food away until he moves on to the next item on the agenda.

Kiki will announce, "I have to write an essay" and then scream at me when I tell her two hours is too long for one paragraph, and she needs to do her chores and she is NOT DONE YET.

As for Nita, her routine consists of the following:

-put backpack and lunchbox in various places throughout the house
-change into playclothes
-gobble snack, leaving dip to eat with finger; cry when mom takes the bowl and puts it in the sink
-get sent back to room to get school clothes and gym clothes
-choose an item of clothing which is missing from the ensemble, and scream that she can't find it
-have a meltdown and sob because Mom is talking through clenched teeth
-start homework
-ask for help on every problem
-when Mom refuses to help until all the problems are attempted, throw pencil at Mom
-get sent to room for recovery time
-return to put homework papers in brother's backpack
-cry because today is the first day or Ramadan and we don't celebrate it
-scribble all over math workbook page because Mom marked an item wrong
-smack brother because he mentions this was not smart
-eat supper
-go to bed immediately
-get up, brush teeth
-get sent back to bed
-get up, complain of headache
-get sent back to bed, stomping feet
-get up, cry because the community drawing wasn't complete
-get sent back to bed
-cry for ten minutes because there is now a distinct probability of failing third grade and maybe even fourth grade
-get up, look at Mom, and decide the smartest thing to do is go back to bed