After spending the weekend making sure that hats, gloves, scarves, and jackets were all lined up for the girls to wear to school, we woke up Monday morning to a couple inches of snow.  Audio, who had made it through a good portion of the night in her own bed, woke up in my bed and asked if her mom was still home.  She was, and she was able to help Audio make it into the bathroom before she threw up.  All Audio had in her belly was mucus.  My attempts to teach her how to spit out what she coughs up have not yet been successful. 

After her mom left for work, Audio laid down on the couch and decided that she was too sick to go to school.  But, as soon as I opened the curtains and she saw the snow outside, she felt much better and wanted to go to school.  Both girls were happy to see the snow and we managed to get out of the house on time without any problems.  On the walk to school, Audio announced that she loved the snow and then slipped and fell on her bottom.  I helped her up and she was OK.  Then, during the walk home from school, Dee Dee reported that seven students had been absent, then she slipped and fell on her bottom.  She got up by herself and she was OK.  Shortly after arriving home from school, Audio threw her switch from “Healthy” back to “Unhealthy” and fell asleep.   

I asked my wife what she thought about getting the girls up before she left for work so that Audio would have a chance to say “goodbye” to her before she left, and just create a little more time to finish all the things that need to get done in the morning.  I think the girls were happy to trade a little sleep for a few minutes with their mom.  And with boots and snow pants sorted out and placed near hats, jackets, and gloves the night before, the morning did go pretty well.  There’s always a little screwing around and pouting in the morning.  But, we got out the door with plenty of time to make it to school. 

We were early enough, in fact, that we got to the main intersection before the flag children.  The flag children are students from fourth and fifth grade, who wear orange vests and step out into traffic brandishing large orange flags to stop the cars for pedestrians who are walking to school.  After we managed our way safely across the street, I saw that the flag children were walking towards us, from the school, approaching their stations. 

I advised Dee Dee to walk ahead of Audio and me and reminded both girls to, “keep to the right” side of the sidewalk.  I held Audio’s left hand and had her walk along the edge of the right side of the sidewalk. When we met two flag children on the sidewalk, we stayed on our right side and they moved to their right side. But, when a single flag children (the tiny ginger who leaves his long shoelaces untied, dragging through the mud and muck) got to us, he stayed to his left and forced Dee Dee to step off the sidewalk, into the snow to get around him.  Although I kept repeating “keep to the right” he continued a few more steps and was soon chest to chest with Audio, flagpole against her leg.  I leaned over and advised the flag children to step to his right and always walk on the right side of the sidewalk.   

The ginger flag children stared at me, confused.  So, I calmly raised my left hand to my right, over Audio’s head, and then slowly pulled my hand past his face, to make sure that he saw it, pointed to my left and said, “Keep to the right.  Always keep to the right.”  The boy’s eyes widened, his head snapped a bit, and he stepped out of our way.  Then, in as positive a voice as I could muster, I said “lesson learned,” as Audio and I continued along the right side of the sidewalk.   

On my way to pick up Audio (Dee Dee had her Music Theater after-school program) from school, the tiny, ginger flag children wasn’t at any of the posts that host flag children.  I was wondering what sort of encounter we would have, if he’d been out.  He’s not been receptive in the past to my offering to wait for him to tie his shoes before I cross the street, or my to suggestions to put on the gloves that were stuffed in his pocket while he held the flagpole with his bare hands. I see the kid most mornings.  He is always doing something that I wish his dad would teach him not to.