Parenting Fail Times Two

And now for the eleventy-billionth installment on my parenting inadequacies:

Fail 1 - Somehow I have turned into the crazy, over-scheduling parent I swore I would never be.  I decided that two activities per week outside of school was plenty.  Then swimming lessons started.

That's not an activity, I think to myself.  It's water safety!  Sign 'em up!  (Why  I, a swim instructor, need swim lessons for my kids in an entirely different post.)  So I signed them both up for lessons.

Then soccer season happened.  The practices were scheduled for Tuesdays and Thursdays - the same days as swimming lessons.  Blah.  For the first time ever, I wasn't going to be able to cover the kids' schedules on my own.  Three out of four weeks per month this is no big deal.  T will grumble, but step up and do half of the ferrying.  My awesome sister-wives friends have stepped up to help me during the week he is working nights. 

During March, Z was sick for the first week of lessons, so I postponed her lessons until April.  Tuesday was Z's first day for swim lessons.  Soccer practice is from \
6:15 to 7:00.  Swim lessons start at 7:10 across town.  I figured we'd leave practice at 6:50 and make it easily.  No sweat, right?

Um, wrong.

The moms on our new team are big fun.  I was taking shirt orders and chitty-chatting and completely lost track of time.  By the time I checked my watch, it was 7:15.  Holy cow!  I jumped up, grabbed our stuff and ran(!) to the car.  I made poor Z change into her swimsuit in the car.  A difficult feat with a seat belt on!

By the time we got to the Y and fought the crazy parking, it was 7:33.  As we skidded into the pool area the little teen-aged head lifeguard looked a me and said, "Really?"  Z was unphased.  She jumped in for the last five minutes of class and was happy as a clam.  When class was over the teacher said, very kindly, "You do know when class starts, right?"

I hung my head and mumbled something about scrimmages and doing better next time.

Nothing like teenaged disdain to make you feel like a stellar parent!

Fail 2 - Chica got a sewing machine recently and we have been making coordinating dresses for the girls.  I just finished the second one and Z was super excited to wear it to school.  When she put it on, I noticed that the arm holes seemed a little big.  She's in kindergarten, I think to myself.  How big a deal could it be?

At 11:15 I get a call from the school.  "Mrs. C?  Z's dress doesn't meet the dress code.  You need to bring her a t-shirt to wear under it or a change of clothes." 

FAIL.