I understood the assignment.

My kids? There were questions.

Me: “I took Wednesday off. I’m going to wake up early and write. You guys are going to have to fend for yourselves – you’re in charge of breakfast, making lunch, and getting yourselves out the door on time.”

The resounding response was either, “What?!?” or, “Why?!?” (What amazing investigative journalists they’d be – they’re only missing Who, Where, and When.)

I mean, check out 1.0’s face when I told her.

I gave them two days’ notice.

I don’t think they thought I was serious, but I reminded them the night before to set their alarms, because I wouldn’t be waking them up. Sweet dreams, kids. ❤️ <– Why is it that when I read that in my head, I am reading it with an evil voice?!?

Here’s How It Went

I didn’t sleep well – I never do – but I was excited to hop out of bed to write. Days off are certainly not for sleeping in. But do I ever sleep in, now that I think about it? I digress …

2.0

2.0 is the easy one, he always has been. Well, maybe I should preface that by saying, for some things. Not much ruffles his feathers.

He leaves first in the morning. I get an hour (45 minutes?) with him before 1.0 appears. Both kids used to have the same schedule, but for the past year-and-a-half, with her in Junior High and him still in Middle School, believe it or not, mornings have been calmer. Less fighting. More enjoyable (although, more back-to-back hours for me).

I was already at my computer, coffee in hand, when he came downstairs.

He gave me a big smile, said good morning, and went about his responsibilities.

His breakfast: a gigantic bowl of Frosted Mini Wheats. I’ll take it. Win #1.

His lunch: a salami sandwich, chips, and cucumbers. (I had to remind him to pack a fruit and / or vegetable, but well done, 2.0!) Win #2.

His snack: popcorn. Win #3. (He ate most of it as he packed it 🤣.)

Water bottle? Check.

Computer packed? Check.

The only commentary from 2.0 – as I reminded him of a few things from the sidelines – was that he thought I was going to sit back and not help out. The tables had turned, and he was chastising me during this little experiment (and I didn’t like it one bit!). But he did concede that the “suggestions” I did offer – things like don’t forget to put deodorant on and brush your teeth – were non-negotiables. 🤪 He’ll remember them next time, I’m sure. <– And yes, there will be a next time.

Overall though, he killed it. He got up (without assistance!), showered, bounded downstairs, made all meals, emptied half of the dishwasher (upon my request), and he was out the door on time.

One down, one to go.

1.0

The first words out of her mouth were, as she put a bagel into the toaster, “Do we have to make lunch for ourselves too?”

“Yes, 1.0, we talked about this.” Cue an exaggerated eye roll from me.

There were lots of questions like:

“Is a bagel going to be enough for me?” (I don’t know – there are lots of other foods you can have.) “Like maybe something from the fruit bowl?” (Sure.) “Or a yogurt?” (Sure.)

“How many pieces of salami do you use in a sandwich?” (I don’t know.) “Like, how many layers of salami do you put on?” (I don’t know.) “Should I just put on a whole bunch?” (Sure.)

“Can I take one of the mini sodas in for lunch?” (This is your day.) “So I can?” (This is your day.)

Sigh.

Each distracting question was vaguely answered, but in the end, she too, got out the door on time. Although it should be noted that 1.0 never did empty her portion of the dishwasher and she benefited from (stole?) some of 2.0’s lunch prep, but her efforts were vastly improved over a “normal” day. And given I’m committing to something like this more regularly, I’ll gain back even more time to write as I anticipate that questions will evolve to confident action which will evolve to habit. I’ll get there.

Overall

Overall, my island counter survived, although my other counters are filled with … the evidence of children fending for themselves. Milk is spilled on the counter. The sink is full of dishes. The dogs have not been fed, the portion of the dishwasher that was 2.0’s remains to be done, and the clean laundry has still not been folded. But I think with some training, this could become a regular thing for me.

One thing to remember for next time though; if I want to truly enjoy something like this, I need to have worked out beforehand. Rolling out of bed and sitting around – even doing something that I absolutely love like writing – does not work well for my personality. I guess I’ll just have to ‘Take two …’ and try this again (soon!). Not the worst thing in the world. 😊

That being said it can’t have been that bad, because here I am, happily pushing Publish …