After venting about the fact that we have passed the vernal equinox and are just days away from April, I started mindlessly Googling “rainy days.”
Up popped the “Rainy Day Pick-Up Procedures,” issued by the Mirman School in Los Angeles.
Mirman’s rules are for parents picking up kids in a downpour, but we all need Rainy Day Pick-Up Procedures. Here are mine, inspired by theirs.
Check the Rainy Day Hotline to make sure this has been declared a Rainy Day. If the weather is still threatening by late morning, call a friend. Start a game of “Ain’t It Awful.” If she thinks things will look up, calm down and carry on.
Rainy Day Pick-up Is Called By 2 p.m. If it’s still not better by 2 p.m., invoke Rainy Day Procedures. Eat at least one ounce of dark chocolate. This can be followed on weekends by a nap or mindless TV watching. During workdays, take a couple extra walks around the office and stretch.
In case of sudden downpours just before 3 p.m., we will call Rainy Day Pickup despite its absence from the Rainy Day Pickup Hotline. Sudden spring showers qualify for chocolate and more. Have another ounce and supplement on weekends with a pint of Haagen Dazs. At work, check your PTO to see if you can rush home and follow weekend procedures.
Stay in your car and have your child brought to you, or park and get your child. If you don’t have any Haagen Dazs in your freezer, you can get some at a drive-thru or park your car in the Kroger lot and run in. Either way, stock up. You will be doing this again.
