Dear whoever decided early dismissal is a good thing,

First I'm going to clear the air so I don't get any hatermail because I know ya'll are out there ready to strike. You can come out of the dark corners...it's ok, I don't bite...hard. Yes, I love my girls. I love spending time with them and *gasp* there are days I keep them home from school to have a girly day and go shopping. However, those are usually days when I am all caught up with school, house, and work, work. ;0) However, these dreaded early dismissals always get me when I'm swamped. Or, maybe, when I'm just not in the mood for them. Either way, they can suck.

You see, having two girls is a blessing and a curse.

I was an only child and grew up across the street from a family who had 4, yes FOUR, girls. Sisters were super cool to me. I wanted that special closeness, that shared genetic makeup, and I even wanted the fights. Hey, being an only child is not all it's cracked up to be. Spoiled rotten? Yes. Lonely? Also yes. So you see, sisters were my dream. Once I had the one girl, I just prayed and prayed for another girl. And when Mags was born it was a dream come true in many ways.

But I clearly had not thought it through all the way.

I never saw the mother of those 4 girls and how utterly frustrated she'd become when the bickering just would. not. stop. And now that I am that mother, I can so understand the look of exhaustion she'd have before they even left for school. Here's a news bulletin for ya: Girls, they fight. They fight alot and they fight over everything. They also tend to whine. And that just grinds my nerves to the core. Yes, I know boys fight too. I know all siblings fight, but this is about me right now. :)

So, since the weekend I have been dreading the early dismissals because, truthfully, after listening to their fighting from the time they get up in the morning, I am THRILLED when it's time to walk to school. But these damn early dismissals mean that they will be dismissed...EARLY. Like right after lunchtime early. This also means that regardless of the mammoth 15 foot trampoline in our large yard, regardless of the gajillion toys occupying the play room (including enough American Girl clothes for an army), regardless of the ipods, Nintendo DS, Playstation, 6 computers, and enough other crap to occupy a normal child, regardless of all of this they will fight. And it will be over something stupid.

My other bitch about these early dismissals is that they are normally when it's cold out. Ok, not cold, but chilly-ish. It's going to be 50 degrees today which isn't really that cool for us here in NE, PA. And it will get increasingly frigid in the coming months, I know this. But it still limits what I can get the little critters to do outside of the house. The only blessed saving grace of summer is our pool, but that's clearly out. This means that by about 2 pm, but very possibly much earlier, I will be considering taping their mouths shut and shoving them in the attic. No, no, I would never reeeaaallllyyy do that, but it is a comforting thought when the bickering starts. Ya know. The option which, even though you know is not possible, still gives you the warm fuzzies.

So, thank you Mr. School Director or whoever you are. Thank you very much. I'll send the therapy bill straight to you. My therapy bill. The girls will be just wonderful. Me? Dead. Dying from bickering. I wonder if that's possible?

Did I mention the damn early dismissals are the rest of the week?
Margaritas please. El Grande Margaritas.

Yes, they are cutes, but the evil lurks just beneath the surface.