The Great Shock

If the children had awakened as Smurfs this morning, I couldn’t have been more shocked. They are indeed still human, still pale, and still have full heads of hair — but to my great shock, Day 1 of Daylight Stealings Time was a flawlessly, perfectly perfect slice of perfection. Actually, I think the Smurf thing would have shocked me less.

I’ve been a parent for almost 10 years. This is my 9th Daylight Stealings transition as a parent. And this is the first one that didn’t embody the spittings of a grumpy dragon. They awakened happily on their own before 7:30 DST, we were early to church, they sat like angels through a long sermon, they ate their lunches like hungry street urchins, they helped rake and bag 8 bags of leaves from the front yard this afternoon (I can’t even go into the details of how well this one went…I’ll pass out), and sat through evening church as angelic as they had in the morning. No crying. No complaining. All day long.

I have two theories on the day:

• Either my Daylight Stealings Transition Planning document is finally tweaked to efficiency and effectiveness,
  OR
• I’m going to look up carefully as I walk out the front door tomorrow morning to avoid being beaned in the head by the dropping of the other shoe.

Until next November, may your memories, and mine, of that lost hour sweetly sustain us. Carry on.