Yans and I took a Mental Health Day today.
It was just one of those mornings.
We normally go out to coffee on Thursday mornings (used to be Fridays) to study spelling words and Bible verses, but Courtney needed to be to school early so there wasn't enough time. So instead, I got everyone up early and fed them smoothies, with the intention of stopping by the coffee shop drive-through to grab a couple of muffins on our way to school.
But of course, no one could get ready on time and that meant I got to listen to the complaints of children that were quite sure they were going to perish on account of being sent to school with nothing but smoothies in their stomachs.
Add to that the fact that no one had even bothered to study their Bible verses or spelling words because apparently, they cannot prepare for those things unless their mommy specifically drives them to a coffee shop to do so.
And of course, there was bickering.
Always bickering.
So as I was dropping off the big kids, I told everyone that our Thursday morning coffee dates were temporarily being discontinued and that when they could show me they were responsible enough to study their spelling words and Bible verses on their own each week prior to Thursday morning, that I would consider reinstating their coffee shop priviledges.
And then Annie and I sat out in the parking lot in silence for awhile (It was too early to leave her at school.) before she took off her shoes and crawled up into the front seat of the car and onto my lap. (We spend a lot of time waiting in the parking lot of the school for the big kids and more frequently than not, we spend it with her on my lap - sounds silly, but it kind of refuels me and makes me wish the other three were little enough to do the same.)
And that's where the idea hatched.
For the two of us to just go back home and to lay in bed all day together, watching The Biggest Loser.
A Mental Health Day if you will.
And I realize that letting your kid play hookie from school probably isn't the most responsible thing in the world to do as a parent, but since we've never done it before (and I already informed her that she can only have one Mental Health Day per school year and only if her grades are good) I just made a judgment call and decided to go for it.
And all Mental Health Day long, I was glad I did.