Are there parents that feel like they have things properly planned in advance? I never feel that way. I always feel like we are a little behind - like our daughter has a party to go to on a Saturday and we’re trying to figure out a gift on Friday night. Or it’s time to leave for school and we forgot to pack her lunch.

I know we have it together more than some other parents, and we’re lucky that we only have one kid, not two or, God forbid, three. I don’t know how parents would do that. Are they in a constant Zen state of flow where they are dispatching with tasks and preparations as they arise, or are they in a constant non-Zen state of panic where they are putting out fires the whole time? Maybe they rely on systems - rules and procedures that get things done in a timely fashion.

Whatever they do, kudos to them. In our household, we are in a constant state of “should-come-up-with-a-solution-sometime.” We acknowledge there is a problem, and in a spare moment we will figure it out. Only the spare moment doesn’t happen. Or we resolve to do something and then forget that what we decided to do. What was I saying?