When I Say Ready...

I asked my son to write a blog post for me. "What should I write about?" he asked. After kicking around a few ideas, I asked him to write about what it's like to live with an ADHD mom.

"What would you say?" I asked him. He laughed and described how we're always late. "You tell me you're ready and it's time to go, so you tell me to hurry up and get ready, and then I do, and then you're not ready. Then I get into something else and suddenly you're yelling at me because you're ready again and I'm not."

"I yell at you?"

"Well, no."

Kids can be so dramatic. But his story made me think. He's right. I struggle with the definition of "ready." And apparently it's pretty frustrating to him.

So let me think. What do I need to walk out the door?

• Lock the back door
• Get my purse
• Fill my water bottle
• Print directions
• Get the stuff I need to bring
• Oops, remember more stuff I need to bring

Hm. These are always afterthoughts. I say I'm ready, and then I start on this list. Five minutes, two more "ready" announcements, and three trips upstairs later, I'm truly ready to walk out the door.

I never gave it much thought. It's just What I Do. I know it irritates him, and every time it happens, I feel bad. For a few seconds anyway, until I forget about it again. But something about hearing it like this has put it into a different light for me. This is how he characterizes me as a mother? Not very flattering.

The good news is that this should be easy to remedy. I've never been late for an appointment with a client, and I don't think any of them think I'm scattered. So I know I can do it. I just need to use more of a business mindset with my family. It's my job to be ready when I say I'm ready.

Looks like it's checklist time for Mom.