Okay, Okay, Everybody. Quit Trying to Dismember Me.

It was a beautiful fall day. The sun was already warm  Although the school bus was not scheduled to pull up for another twenty minutes, six-year old Lucy, my youngest child, already had her lunch packed in her schoolbag. Grade 1 She was hauling the heavy kitchen door openwas so exciting, she could hardly wait to climb on the big bus. was pulling the kitchen door open, hoping  to sneak outside for some free time before school.  As the door open, I looked up.

Before I could comment, Mara, one of  her many older sisters, whipped around and remarked,
"Lucy, did you try to do your hair again? The part's crooked. Come over here and I will fix it for you."

Lucy had barely taken a few steps when Emily entered the kitchen, stopped and looked Lucy up and down She closed her eyes, shook her head at her little sister,
"Mum couldn't have picked out those clothes for you to wear. The top doesn't match your sweater. You'll have to change polo shirts or keep that sweater buttoned up all day."

Lucy started the slow, awkward process of doing up the buttons.

Hearing all the commotion, Rachel yelled from the bathroom,

"Lucy, you forgot to brush your teeth again!"

Lucy suddenly through her arms up into the air and huffed out in exasperation,

"All right, all right everybody. Quit trying to dismember me."