Why Parents are Late… Everywhere.

In a past life not too long ago, I was a childless working professional. I was eager, ambitious, and driven. I got to work early, and I worked hard – without a care in the world other than where I’d be going for lunch and whether or not I’d be getting drinks with my friends after work. Some of my co-workers had children, and I never quite understood why they were always late to work or why more often than not they seemed frazzled and distracted.

But now as a mother of two, I know exactly why.

And for those I judged before it was my turn, I’m sorry. Getting yourself and your children up and out the door by a certain time each day is like the parenting version of American Ninja Warrior, and it’s nearly impossible to do it perfectly {read :: timely} each day. Of course, this goes for much more than just work. Children can just be straight up ridiculous, and getting them out of the door to go to school, church, the park, or your neighbor’s house down the street can be difficult. So next time you’re wondering why on earth you can’t seem to make it anywhere on time, here’s why…

20 Reasons Parents are Late… Everywhere.

1. Their baby kept them up all night long.
2. Their toddler refused to wear clothes for an hour and then spilled their entire breakfast on the mismatched clothes they finally agreed to wear.
3. They got stuck behind a school bus.
4. They forgot the kids’ lunches or bottles.
5. Traffic. ‘Nuff said.
6. Poop. There is always a diaper blowout or a toddler deciding that right before it’s time to leave the house is the perfect time to poop on the potty.
7. They left the paci at home.
8. They had to pack 20 snacks.
9. They spent 45 minutes trying to wrestle their toddler into their straight jacket {aka carseat}.
10. No one could find their shoes.
11. They got spit up on and had to change clothes.
12. Brushing the toddler’s teeth took 30 minutes.
13. The baby hid their keys.
14. Their child’s teacher wouldn’t stop talking to them.
15. They needed gas because they couldn’t stop for it until there were no screaming babies in the car. {Don’t understand that? Drive in a car with an infant, and you’ll catch on quick. Trust me.}
16. Their children fought over what cartoon to watch during breakfast, or who got to put the dogs in their crates, or who got walked into their classroom first.
17. They only woke up 3 hours before they had to be somewhere instead of the required 4 hours.
18. Someone had a doctor’s appointment.
19. Because mornings are hard.
20. The incessant need to kiss the baby goodbye one last time.

There are probably about a hundred other reasons I’ve been late to work or somewhere else since having kids. The worst so far has been getting a flat tire, taking the girls to school late after the tire was fixed, going to the doctor and testing positive for the flu, and then having the ignition go out on the same car that had a flat tire that morning. I wanted to quit life that day.

So tell us, what’s the craziest reason you have been late. Was it your kids, your car, or something else all together? We want to know in the comments below!