The Great Bread Debate

Yesterday morning was unusual to say the least. For the first time ever, I had an early morning appointment that simply could not be changed. I woke up at 4, quietly dressed and prepared myself for an extraordinarily long day. I was in the car, driving in the dark, before anybody else at the house was beginning to stir.

In order to accommodate my schedule, Scott had to assume Daddy duty.  He took few hours of leave from work so that he could get the boys up, fed, dressed and dropped off at school. This was the first time that he has been responsible for both children on his own, and I am sure he would agree that his novice status was apparent. 

My drive was quiet until about 6:00, and as soon as my phone began to ring I knew that Timmy was awake. Scott wanted to know what to feed him. At first I thought he was joking, but the seriousness of his tone led me to believe that he was sincere. I reminded him that Timmy does not yet have teeth and that a bottle for breakfast would be appreciated. 

At 6:15 he called to let me know that Timmy sucked down his bottle, but spit up onto his work pants.  I suggested that he change clothes, and keep a burp cloth on his lap. He agreed and hung up to change his clothes.

At 6:40 my phone rang again. This time he wanted to inform me that Robby was awake. 

At 7:00 he called to find out how many Eggo waffles Robby would eat for breakfast. 

The 7:30 phone call started a series of interactions that will go down as the Great Bread Debate.  Scott called for instructions on how to pack Robby's lunch. I suggested that he make him a sandwich, but reminded him to cut off the crusts. This sparked a long exchange concerning the specific location of the bread crust, identifying the many sides that can be called a crust.

I contended that bread has four sides, and that each side has a crust.  He believed that the only crust was the bottom and that sides were simply sides and not part of the crust. By 8:00 I couldn't believe that I had debated/discussed/ argued over bread crust for 30 minutes. I was frustrated with our inability to agree about the parts of a slice of bread and increasingly annoyed by the barrage of phone calls.  We finally mutually agreed to end the conversation by deciding that Robby would have noodles instead of a sandwich.

I realize that wrangling both kids in the morning while trying to get ready for work can be frustrating. After all, I do it every day! However, the excessive phone calls became a bit overwhelming. When I finally switched off my phone, I couldn't decide if he was really that overwhelmed or if he was trying to be annoying.  When I picked up Robby, I realized the answer.  Somehow my little Koopa went to school with both his shirt and his pants on backwards. 

Sigh.  On the bright side, I've discovered that my family needs me.