September is the most exhausting month. The transition from the sluggish pace of summer  to the rah rah rah pace of fall is always draining. And this year it’s taking me longer than ever to get into the swing of things. Could be the humid, doggy weather we’ve been having. Or the intense allergy season that has me popping Claritin like candy and sneezing and itching all the time.

Worst of all, is the new morning schedule we’re on. Or should I say, my son is on. But of, course it means the whole family has to follow along, too. In order to arrive at his high school by 8:30 a.m. sharp, my son has to be out the door at 7:30. That means my husband’s cell phone alarm goes off at 6 a.m. He’s got it set to something called "Chinese Dance" and the sound of it really gets one of us out of bed fast to turn off the loud, annoying sound.

Once the alarm is off, we sometimes drift back to sleep, which can be very dangerous. On Monday, no one woke up until 7:30. Then we go into emergency mode -showerdressglassesbreakfastbookbagout – my husband has to drive my son to his school in Bay Ridge.

My husband usually goes into my son’s room, which is right next door to ours, to wake him up. "The weasels are coming," my husband says. That is code for: ‘I’m going to start tickling you.’  "The weasels are here. You better wake up," he says. This is a wake up game the two of them have been playing for years. Then the tickling begins and the yelping, the screaming. the "Stop it, dads. Stop it!" I’m not sure if he loves it or hates it. But I think some sort of male bonding is going on.

The tie is another key component of the new morning ritual. My husband has instructed my son not to tie his tie until he’s brushed his teeth or had breakfast – it’ll get dirty that way. This is how manly information is passed from generation to generation. Just before he leaves the apartment, my son stands in wait while my husband ties his tie.

Soon my son may learn how to tie it himself. But for now, he’s learning by watching his father engage in this ancient rite.

He’s still wearing that silver tie with the diagonal black stripes he wore the first day of school. Guess it’s his signature tie. Do you have to wash ties?  Better ask my husband about that.
Once he’s out the door, we take a short break until it’s time to wake my daughter up. Her commute is a bit shorter – PS 321 is right around the corner. But she hates to wake up…

September is the most exhausting month.

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