New Routines

The first day of Pre-K and Kindergarten
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Two sleepy children are snug in their beds
Sweet dreams and good things mull around in their heads.
Playdates, pool parties, and toes in the sand
Late summer nights and sleepovers with friends.


August is here, and routines will soon change
For two idle children, life won’t be the same.
One is quite happy about new adventures
The other has feelings of apprehension.


Beginnings are scary, impossible to ignore
This story starts on the eve before. 
It’s Sunday night, and Mom sets the alarm
A ringing and dinging full-on marathon.  



All must be up by seven o’clock
One hour before the school bus stops.
Alerts, flashing lights, and plans are in place
The children must wake up and keep up the pace.

Sis isn’t an early riser.
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Sis is the hardest to rise from her slumber
Encased in her sheets like she’s inside a bunker.
To successfully engage, Mom needs to be clever
She sends Baby Brother for the critical endeavor.   



He slaps down his hands like he’s beating a drum
On Sister’s double-bed dum-ditty dum.
From under the linens, Sis slowly does rise
She stretches her arms and opens her eyes.

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Baby Brother’s a’ grinnin’ one ear to the other
Sis offers a half-smile and throws back the covers.
Meanwhile, Bubba’s sleeping through all of the babble
Dreaming of race cars and kicking pea gravel.



It’s his turn to awaken and face the new day
Thank goodness he’s easy and doesn’t delay. 
Rolling out of the bed to the closet, they go
Change from pajamas and into school clothes.

Bubba sleeps and dreams.
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Sis puts on shorts, a shirt, and a dress
Trying to decide which outfit looks best.
Bubba likes clothes that don’t make him twitch,
Soft cotton t-shirts will forgo the itch.
 


The routine continues by keeping teeth white
Toothbrushes and toothpaste, brush brush, don’t fight.
With two at the vanity, pushing and shoving
The one to the side is the more peace-loving.

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Here’s the thing to consider when dealing with siblings 
The closer the age, the more frequent the quibbling.
Sometime in the future, it won’t matter in the slightest. 
It’s sister and brotherly love at its finest.
 


Wipe faces and hands, set the towel on the sink 
Keep things moving, there’s no time to blink.
To think only last week they slept until nine
No rushing. No worries. No reason to whine.

Nothing better to do than play with shoes.
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Everything’s a flurry before exiting the door
Baby Brother just sits there and plays on the floor. 
More grooming is necessary before taking leave
Sometimes, hair brushing will cause Sis to scream.



She got a new hairstyle before school started
Long hair and tangles have finally parted.
Bubba sees a barber for a big boy haircut
Snip snip with the clippers, he keeps his eyes shut.



Time to grab backpacks hurriedly off of the hook
Sling over the shoulders, take a quick look.
They notice their feet don’t have any shoes
Where did they put them? They go looking for clues.



Could they be in the closet or by the backdoor?
Check out Baby Brother, he’s got ’em on the floor.
Walk down the driveway and to the bus stop
Mom eyeballs her phone, it’s eight o’clock.




The children look up from the street below
They see Gamma’s watching inside her window.
New routines take practice, understanding, and conversation
As children explore life’s undiscovered destinations.

Kindergarten is fun.

Bubba’s in Pre-K.