For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for March 10, 2010

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    cleokaya  over 14 years ago

    My wife always asks me what time I want to leave. It never happens. I am the type that wants to arrive early or on time. She is the type that wants to arrive on time or hope there is nothing that could ever possibly slow us down.

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    Deanna175  over 14 years ago

    Must be another day of school.

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    NoahsMama  over 14 years ago

    I read an article a few years back that stated your birth time dictated your punctuality throughout your life. If you were born early, you would always be early, if you were born on time, you would always be on time, and if you were born late, you would always be late. Not sure if there’s any truth to it, but I was born two weeks late (due on the 13th and came on the 28th), and I am always running late, or busting my hump to be on time! This is despite having my hubby lie about the time we’re due somewhere or setting the clocks earlier. My dad always used to run late, until he was embarrassed by a guest speaker at a lecture. Now he’s a stickler for punctuality, so I guess the research in the article isn’t cast in stone!

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    gobblingup Premium Member over 14 years ago

    That’s right, Deanna175…he’s doing anything to avoid going to school. He’s old enough to get ready without monitoring, but the toys should be out of his room.

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    camelsamba2  over 14 years ago

    This very thing is happening in my house right now… :^(

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    arsmall  over 14 years ago

    Interesting NoahsMama…

    Michael “King of the Goof-offs”

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    vldazzle  over 14 years ago

    Susan - they just DON”T grow up;-)

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    LornaP  over 14 years ago

    FishStix - if you change your “and” to an “or”, you might be okay. Someone may be habitually late to meet with you, but it could “just” be chronic disorganization - and have nothing to do with whether the person respects or cares for you. You don’t have to like it, but there’s no point in taking it personally or resenting it.

    I’m thinking Michael’s problem was one of distraction, not disregard for others or attention-seeking….

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    Smiley Rmom  over 14 years ago

    I do notice that there is something in one’s personality traits, that makes one inclined one way or the other. For my Dad, myself, and my oldest son, we’ve always wanted to wrap up whatever we’re doing before we have to put it away. For my hubby and youngest son, they drop whatever it is they are doing, and are out the door almost immediately. However, just like many other personality traits, one can take steps to master it, instead of letting it master you. After I became a mom, and found out that just as I was leaving, either a kid would puke all over our clothes (or worse), or I would remember there was something essential I had forgotten to grab, and would need to go back inside to get it. I then started gathering (& often loading the car with) the things I needed or wanted to take, hours before I left. I also give myself extra time to drive there (might have a train to wait on, a traffic tie-up, unexpected detour, etc.). I give myself 15 minutes extra time just for getting out the door of the house and driving out the driveway, to allow time for that last bathroom visit, the dash back into the house for my cell phone or other forgotten item. I now usually have no difficulty getting places on time, as long as I don’t have something preventing me from having adequate time to do my preparations to leave. After 25 years of marriage, when my husband & I are planning what time we need to leave the house to get somewhere on time, we set 2 different times - 15 minutes apart. For example, it might be 1:00pm for me, and 1:15pm for him. Then he doesn’t get upset if we don’t leave until 1:15pm, and I set myself a goal of leaving by 1:00pm. I also try to give my oldest son more time to get ready to leave, than I do my youngest son. The youngest I have had to tell him to take off his coat, and go read something while he waits on his brother & I to get ready to leave. Just like any other area of life - if it is difficult for you, make a plan to help you deal with it successfully.

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    RubberRules  over 14 years ago

    Yet another “Kids Say the Darnest Things”…

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    summerdog86  over 14 years ago

    Being late just shows that you really don’t care to be there.

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    mroberts88  over 14 years ago

    I start getting dressed at about 10-5 minutes until class starts.

    summerdog, unless you live right above your class, and think you have more time than you really do.

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    Shikamoo Premium Member over 14 years ago

    Don’t judge what you do not know.

    Micheal is a typical kid with no concept of time. Ellie’s trying to help, but needs to be more assertive about getting him to move faster.

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    ldyhwkd  over 14 years ago

    This looks like my morning today. My son was ready 20 min. early, but I was doing everything I could to get my daughter out the door so she wouldn’t be late for school.

    I understand the problems of chronic lateness, but if someone is late, please keep in mind other circumstances that may be involved. Being late on occassion is not necessarily a sign of disrespect, but can be dependant on both organization and external factors that may slow one down such as vehicle problems, traffic issues, a lack of sleep causing one to be slower in getting moving in the morning, or even the difference between a morning person and a non-morning person. My family we have some of all of these factors on occasion.

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    mrslukeskywalker  over 14 years ago

    What a pleasant way to start your day!

    Good LORD!

    The kid has it right. if she just told him he was late to begin with, he wouldn’t have been expected to be a mind reader. He doesn’t know the importance of what time it is yet. It’s up to her to move him along. The woman is always irrationally frantic about everything.

    Sometimes people are just late, and it has nothing to do with being inconsiderate or disorganized as stated above. I’ve left with extra time, in order to be a little bit early, and plenty of times, thanks to traffic, detours which left me completely lost, and other circumstances, I arrived late.Things happen.

    Some people get there late, because when they’re on time, they just end up waiting for everyone else anyway. I get to the doctors on time, and wait an hour past my appointment time to be called in, after I call first to see if they’re running on time and am told that they are.

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    CeeC  over 14 years ago

    As a habitually late person and daughter of a lovely women who people give an hour earlier start time to. It doesn’t matter what your excuse, being late shows selfishness and a disregard for other including a lack of respect. That one last thing is not more important than showing the respect of being on time. It is painful to learn to be on time but it can be done.

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    BigHug  over 14 years ago

    Elly kept saying to Michael hurry up. I think that was a big hint that he’s going to be late. I don’t know how much more she could have done to get him on time. If he’s easily distracted what are you going to do. Incidentally I put my daughter on a timer and she’s to beat her time. Today there was no timer and I was astounded she chose her clothes and dressed in about a minute!!!!

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    ocean17  over 14 years ago

    Of course it’s vitally important to enslave our kids to the illusion of time at the earliest possible age. Hamsters have their wheel, and we have that.

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    3139lip  over 14 years ago

    Psychologists say that a client who is late to his appointment is hostile, one who is early is anxious, and one who is punctual is compulsive.

    I have always hated having the clock run my life, so I always looked for a job that let me set my own schedule or at least gave me some leeway. And I usually found one. My feelings had nothing to do with not caring for other people. I just don’t like being regimented.

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    littledutchboy  over 14 years ago

    Mornings suck anyway. Its impossible to have convictions in the morning. Foggy mornings, blurry head, getting anywhere in the morning is a miracle.

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    jaeldid66  over 14 years ago

    Once my son became a teen, I stopped calling him in the morning. If he was not ready to go by the time I was ready to leave (I was a teacher in his school) off I went. I wouldn’t excuse his absence, so if he had an unexcused absence, he got a detention. AND I made sure he made up all his work. Once when he woke up and I wasn’t there, he jogged to school. Arrived 2 hours late, but was there.

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    lindz.coop Premium Member over 14 years ago

    I don’t think we can judge a 6 year old as chronically late. He’s just dawdling (sp?) as kids his age are prone to do (and maybe kids of all ages – see “Zits” today). I think Elly is just handling it as most parents do – tell them until you are sick of telling them, then raise the voice to get the point across and of course, he’s shocked, just shocked!

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