- Before we had kids, my wife and I used to be punctual, but now we’re late for everything.
- We struggle to get out of the house because we don’t pack in a timely manner.
- Traffic doesn’t help, and bathroom breaks slow us down, but we’re making changes.
The decline in my punctuality started with parenthood.
My wife and I used to be punctual, arriving at the time we were supposed to for most events. But then we had kids — and despite our best efforts, punctuality continues to elude us.
We didn’t notice the change at first; after all, we were on my two sons’ schedule now, so it only seemed natural to alter our arrival times accordingly.
But now that my kids are getting older — ages 7 and 12 — punctuality has proved to be an ongoing challenge. My family is trying to fix it.
The problem starts before we even leave the house
The chief culprit working against our return to punctuality would be packing.
I excel at packing. It’s my best event in the house husband decathlon, with lawn maintenance a close second. If packing were a collegiate sport, I’d have gone to college on a full-ride scholarship. I can pack for a weeklong trip in 10 minutes flat, everything coordinated and ready to go in one gym bag.
My wife, on the other hand, hates it. Sometimes, I think she views the chore of packing as an immoral act, like talking during a theater performance. But that’s because she’s usually packing the car for herself and the kids. (I’m not allowed to help her after accidentally packing the wrong pair of shoes for her once.)
Somehow, grabbing everything we need for an afternoon trip to grandma’s house has even become a task. The kids need a lot of stuff every time we leave the house. They need jackets, water, snacks, and activities to do in the car.
My wife grabs all that while I lock the house doors, check that the cats are inside, and ensure the kids have used the bathroom. This divide-and-conquer approach should work in theory, but we meet obstacles at every turn.
Once the packing finally gets done, we struggle to get everyone in the car. My oldest tends to be the first one to get in the vehicle. Our youngest child, meanwhile, has very strong moral convictions against waking up early and moving quickly; he views both actions as wasteful and stupid. Getting him ready to go anywhere can be like getting an angry mountain lion into a cat carrier.
Despite these realities, our loss of punctuality cannot be blamed solely on the children. I know this because we have friends and family with children, and they somehow manage to show up on time.
We just can’t seem to get in sync as a family when it’s time to get out the door.
We still run into issues once we’re in the car
Where we live in Florida, there is nearly always traffic. As such, getting from place to place requires a car and enough patience to deal with the inevitable congestion.
Of course, all families in my area are dealing with the traffic, too. But mine is already running behind, so the traffic is just an added nuisance for us.
Since we tend to be in the car for a long time, someone usually needs a bathroom break. My oldest son is almost always the first one to announce he needs to use the bathroom, which slows us down even more.
We’re trying to make changes to be more punctual as a family
Despite all these challenges, my family has adopted multiple strategies to regain our punctuality.
For starters, we use multiple alarms when it’s time to go — even the timers on the oven and microwave. When the timer goes off, the devices go down, and it’s officially time to load up the car.
Earlier packing times have also been implemented. If we need to leave at 3 p.m. on a Friday afternoon, the bags should ideally be packed and loaded before 2 p.m.
We check traffic patterns on our way out the door, and I try to navigate a route in real time.
The strategies have been effective — even though we’re still working on the bathroom breaks.
