This morning was quite hectic. Neither Claire nor James wanted to get out of bed. In their defense, they were quite worn out from the beach and then we went to the club for dinner (an excellent Chinese meal). We didn't get back to the boat until nearly 8:20---already 20 minutes past their bedtime.
Claire dragged herself out of bed first She's quite helpful in the morning. Other than having to do her hair (which she first brushes), Claire gets ready on her own. She brought the toothbrush and toothpaste over to the piano (where I leave toiletry type stuff for the morning---the kids' clothes are layed out on the piano bench). James is another story. He cried when I got him up. He refused to eat. I then put the portable DVD player on the table and popped in Speed Racer. Bribery and corruption calmed James down and he ate a bit. But then he was so SLOW in getting ready. He undresses himself but then I have to help him dress. He is capable of doing this (we practice this summer) but it takes forever. AND he was already complaining about going to school. Every day I have to hear about how much he DOESN'T want to go to school.
We left very late---the latest thus far this school year. It was 8:30 by the time we pulled out of the marina. We have to be at the Salvation Army Building in Wan Chai (Claire's campus) by 8:10. That's when the shuttle bus leaves. Luck was with us and we made it by 8:03. I chased James around a bit (he likes that) and the bus arrived. I was dreading getting him on the bus. There's always a potential melt down. Fortunately, Louis was sitting alone. When James walked up the first step, Louis waved and called him over. "Yes!" I thought to myself. All was good. The two boys were playing with a Star Wars toy from McDonald's that was in James' backpack. At 8:10, the bus was still there. At 8:12, Jaydan turns up with his maid. (On Tuesday, the dad brought Jaydan. Jaydan pitched a fit, cried and refused to sit down. The dad took him off of the bus.) Jaydan pitched another fit, cried and refused to go up the steps. Next thing I notice (I was talking with another mom), James is crying. Louis undid his seatbelt, climbed over James and then ran to the back of the bus with Jaydan. James then follows. Louis and Jaydan run to the front of the bus and sit down where James and Louis originally were. James is now hysterical. I go on the bus, lead James to a sit towards the back and belt him him. Snot is running down his face, he's weeping...he's holding onto my leg with his hands and legs. "Don't make me go to school. I want to go home. I want to go home." I disengage myself from his grasp (not easy) and then get off of the bus. James is still hysterical. The bus mother (not sure if she speaks any English) sits across from James and the bus pulls away.
I still feel like shit. And I'm still weepy. And I'm pissed. First off, the bus should have left at 8:10. Second, the late arriving kid should have had to go sit where ever there was space. Thirdly, kids shouldn't be allowed to switch seats at that point. Fourth, I hate the fact that kids are fickle and clique-ish. Fifth, the kid that showed up late COULD get bus service from his flat. The parents canceled it because pick up was earlier this year. I also wonder if they didn't want to pay for bus service (the shuttle bus is free at this point). My kid has to be on THAT bus because we live too far away (and always will) for any school bus service to pick my kids up in the marina. (Even the closest school---ESF in Clearwater Bay---won't come into the marina---they would pick up outside of the club.)
I hope James is okay. I hope he's not crying. Most likely he's good---the last time this happened, I asked his teacher how James was that morning. She had no idea what I was talking about. He was completely fine by the time he arrived. The resilience of children...
