3 1/2-year-olds!

I got a GREAT night's sleep last night. Seriously, more than eight hours of uninterrupted sleep. Yes, I do realize how lucky I am. And so, I woke up in a great mood, plenty of energy, ready to start my day. But isn't it crazy how quickly a 3 1/2-year-old can suck all that great energy right out of you?

I love my son. He's smart. He's funny. And he's so sweet. Most of the time. But he's also sooooooo slooooooooow. Why does everything take an hour? Ok, maybe not literally, but still. First, we spend roughly ten minutes deciding what we want for breakfast (a pickle and oatmeal. Ew. I know.). Then we have to wait for the oatmeal to cool. Then it takes another ten minutes to eat said oatmeal. Now it's time to pick out what we're going to wear to school. Oh boy. Why does he even care? He's so particular about what he's wearing but he still never matches. Side note: There is even one shirt that he says makes him look fat. Where on earth did he get that? I don't make comments like that when he's around! Oh well... So once he's dressed in gym shorts and a muscle tee and his "skater shoes" we're almost ready to go. But first we have to tackle every parent's favorite battle: teeth brushing! I'm sure I don't need to elaborate here, but suffice it to say that two people were crying, one had fresh breath, and five more minutes had been wasted. So now, finally, it's out the door! No, wait, now he announces that he has to poop. Ughhh. I don't know the average length of a bathroom visit for other little boys, but my son takes no less than fifteen minutes in there. In fact, I have actually had him ask me if I have a book he can read while he's on the potty. Once I came into our bathroom to find him on the toilet leafing through Reader's Digest! Anyhow, short story long, we were finally able to leave the house one hour and 25 minutes after he'd woken up. Ughhh again!

Now he is safely at school, Mommy is enjoying the baby's nap time, and we will all happily reunite in four short hours. We'll forget all about this morning, hug and kiss hello, enjoy a wonderful afternoon and evening together, and start all over again tomorrow. Yay!

So I have to know. Do everyone's children take forever to get out of the house? Or is it just my little foot-dragger?