Kent Wrangles the Johnsens

This morning, Mikayla had a physical therapy appointment and asked Kent if he could help get kids out the door for school and managed until she could get back. He went over shortly before 8:00 am. I realized I had time to go help, too, so joined him about 8:10. 

When I arrived, children were everywhere, as is typical. I helped Cora and the girls get some breakfast and then got Kal dressed. I couldn’t find his shoes. I had him help me look all over the house, upstairs and down, but I couldn’t find them. In the end, I set his boots by the door along with his bag and called it good. I showed Kent that coat, boots, and bag were all on the door. I brushed Cora’s hair and we got shoes on, then she and Brick left the house. I had to follow closely behind them, confident that things were under control.

 

Kathryn Seamons was coming to pick up Kal at 9:00 for school, and shortly before then, Kent suggested Kal put his boots on. Boots, however, were nowhere to be found, nor was the bag. They were not by the door where I had left them. Kent began a frantic search and tried to enlist Kal’s help. He wasn’t really inclined to look. In fact, he went and hid himself in the bed. Kent ran around looking for boots and eventually found them hiding along with Kal. There was a struggle to get the boots on and things rounded up with an uncooperative small person hindering forward progress. Kathryn arrived to collect Kal and after waiting, came to door and asked if she could help. 

Wild eyed, Kent said, "Yes!" Eventually, Kent scooped Kal up and carried him to Kathryn's car where Quin thankfully, after a helpful suggestion from Kathryn, allowed Kal to play with his car. They headed off to school.

Kent, with only two small children now under his watch, felt confident he could handle the situation. He went back to enter the house through the front door only to find that the girls had locked him out. To make matters worse, when he knocked, they both peeked around the corner, saw him, and ran away. Kent knocked again. They slowly returned, again peeking around the corner, but they were not keen to open up. Kent was reminded of the time when his brothers locked his mother out of the house and only let her back in when she promised not to spank them. Kent told Freya and Thea that he wouldn't spank them or be mad if they would only let him in. They unlocked the door.

Mikayla returned home and found Kent sitting on the couch with the girls perched on boxes behind him, listening intently as he read Everybody Poops. While things had obviously calmed down, I'm not sure Mikayla will be able to convince Kent to help with the morning send off ever again.