When I realized that once middle school started Rose would get home 30 minutes before I would have to leave the house to get David, I was not pleased. I was used to having that 30 minutes to write and because of my procrastination habits, that was often the most productive 30 minutes of the day. So, I was sacrificing art for parenting.

It turned out great. It's true that I can't write during that time and even knowing she might walk in the door any second kind of kills another 10 minutes, but she walks in so excited. She is bursting to tell me every last thing they did in school, and I am bursting to hear it.

She goes through class by class including subject matter and if anything interesting happened--like the day the girl helped her with the computer or the day the boy was impressed by her poem. Then we review her homework. Then she goes off and has a snack, practices the cello, perhaps watches some t.v., and perhaps does the rest of the homework she doesn't mind doing by herself.

I go off and pick up David, and by the time I get back she is ensconced on the couch reading and non-communicative. I get the golden time before she crashes.