The 5:30 A.M. Wake-Up Call

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I won’t lie: I’ve sort of been dreading the beginning of this fall’s school year for one primary reason:

The 5:30 a.m. wake-up call.

Well, it’s not actually a call, because I don’t live in a hotel and ask for the wake-up from the front desk. It comes in the form of my iPhone alarm, and it always awakens me from the deepest sleep.

And did I happen to mention that I’m not a morning person? At all?

Nevertheless, with two kids in high school who both catch the bus at 6:30 a.m., I decided it was finally time for us all to be on the same schedule. If they’re going to go out the door at 6:25 a.m. to meet the bus, I figured I should just leave around the same time and get to campus early. Both of my kids have after-school activities, and moms, if you’re like me, we know we have to hang our “taxicab” sign out as soon as work ends for us. We end up being the shuttle, the taxi, and the kids’ personal Uber driver. Actually, I’m the un-Uber, because all moms are uncool when you have to drive your kid and his/her friends around, especially if your kid has a driver’s permit but isn’t quite eligible to drive yet. Then you’re doubly un-Uber, and no amount of trying to be cool with the friends will help.

I have no doubt that if the Beatles wrote the song today, with a little persuasion, we Mothers-of-the-World might be able to persuade them to change the lyrics from “I’m the taxman” to “I’m the taximom.”

And the taximom gets really tired at the end of the day, especially after the 5:30 a.m. thing that should henceforth be known simply as “the un-godly hour,” especially to those of us who have #ihatemornings disease. This sickness can be cured, but only if you wake up and get your butt moving. Every day. For the rest of the year.

OR…

There’s another cure: drown yourself in good, highly-caffeinated coffee. Nothing like getting that heart pumping first thing in the morning.

Raise that coffee cup, Moms—it’s going to be a long school year.