At what point do I let him learn this lesson the hard way? I asked myself this question at 5:45 AM this morning. I was waiting for our eldest. He was supposed to be at our house at 5:30. Bailey had asked me to drive him to catch a flight and on a good day it takes two hours to get to the airport. With 7 inches of snow several days ago, I had no idea what to expect of the roads.
About the time I pulled into his driveway he texted to say he had overslept and would be out ASAP. When we hit the road I gave him a quick, “Hope you make your flight but if you don’t it’s your own fault” roll of the eyes.
Don’t get me wrong… I’m frequently late to events. I’m often late to birthday parties. I find myself heading to Wal-Mart about the time I should be arriving at the party because I’ve procrastinated on buying a gift. I’m occasionally late to church because I often have a hard time finding the right thing to wear, I’m having a bad hair day, or more likely my 13-year-old and I disagree about her chosen attire. And I’m late to evening Bible studies because I’m finishing the dishes or starting a load of laundry.
I consider some start times more flexible then others. But there are times in particular when Punctuality Really Does Matter.
I think one should be on time when food is involved. No one wants to wait for you when the food is warm and the bellies are empty.
You should also be on time when someone’s schedule is tight. Teachers, speaking from experience, will not be able to accommodate you if you are 15 minutes late to a meeting. They have probably squeezed you into their lunch or recess break and their schedule is anything but flexible.
I’d also recommend you not be late for your wedding or special occasions with your spouse. Timeliness also matters for your own children’s school programs (as some are 10 minutes tops), birthday parties, and nuptials.
Not long ago I served on a District Court jury. When the trial date came around, the defendant in the case was unbelievably late. I’d recommend you be on time when a judge or jury is involved.
And finally, there’s very little wiggle room when you travel. Unless you own the vehicle you’re traveling in, and particularly if you’re traveling via public transportation, the boat, bus, train, or airplane will likely not wait for you.
Unbeknownst to me, Bailey had given us an extra 30 minutes to make a Starbucks run. While we didn’t make it to Starbucks, we didn’t miss his flight. Lessons learned… 1) pack the night before and 2) set your alarm to something other than soothing praise and worship music.
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