He's A Character

I've been getting these kids up and ready in the mornings and dropping them off at daycare or school for 10 years now. Shouldn't it be getting easier? I'm not even talking about actual drop-off, I'm talking about getting them out of the house. Don't I deserve a baby who doesn't mind being set down so I can tend to the 50 things I have to do each morning? Or a 5-year-old who will get herself dressed? Not one who can dress herself, mind you, but one who will dress herself. Isn't it my turn to leave the house without a kid crying for ... some reason? All I ask is one morning where I can walk out of the house with four happy kids following and a cup of coffee in my hand.

Throughout my life, upon any little hardship, Favorite Aunt Carol would tell me that that obstacle would build character. Whether I have any character left is debatable, but if I do have some, I would be willing to trade just a bit of for a kid who could wake up and find both shoes upon command.