“Oof”, I exhaled loudly as I collapsed onto one of the chairs provided in the school reception area.
“Are you alright?” asked the lady behind the desk, whose expression was an impressive mixture of shock, concern and disgust.
“I’m fine,” I replied, sinking lower and lower into the chair and feeling as though every ounce of strength I ever possessed had slipped away for good.
I was done, and it was only 8.57 am.
40 minutes earlier…
“Put your shoes on,” “Put your shoes on,” “Where’s your water b… Can you please put your shoes on!”
“Mummy, are we going to be late?”
“No… SHOES everyone, SHOES!! Right, where are my keys? Have you seen my keys? Where the heck are they?”
“Mummy, are we going to be late?”
“No… just get your shoes on. WHERE ARE MY KEYS? Right, that’s it, we’re going to have to walk, I can’t find my keys, come on, let’s go. Shoes on.”
“Yippeee! Can we take our scooters?”
“Yes, just come on. WHERE ARE YOUR SHOES??”
5 minutes later …
My kids raced off ahead, leaving me to shuffle along behind them like a sleep deprived hedgehog. Walking to school was going to feel like a marathon, despite only being an 8 – 10 minute walk up the road. That is, 8 – 10 minutes for ‘normal’ people, but I was feeling far from normal just then.
With every step I felt as though I would trip and fall. The weight of my legs as I struggled to lift them was unbearable. Each step forward felt like the biggest exertion; it was an achievement to still be standing. I was shaking with the effort to keep myself upright, I wasn’t prepared for this marathon.
“Mummy, are we going to be late?”
“No.”
25 minutes later …
“Right, sign your name in. Reason for lateness? Um, ‘Transport Issues’, that’ll do. OK, Love you, Bye!”
“Oof”, I exhaled loudly as I collapsed onto one of the chairs provided in the school reception area.
The Wibbly Dinosaur 
As a 70 year old man now confined to a mobility scooter after living with MS for over 30 years, I can truly understand what you are going through. Stay positive and enjoy your kids as much as you can. Please keep up the blogs as I just love the humorous slant you put on our nemesis.
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Thank you, Bob. I appreciate your words. Emily
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Wow well done for even trying. I think I would have given up told kids school had just phoned and was shut for the day. Then I would have had a cry. Just keep doing what you’re doing
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Haha, that never occurred to me! Mind you, a day at home on my own with the kids doesn’t sound like a particularly easy solution 😂
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Do they know you have MS at the school?
Have you considered asking if you can give a short talk about it in class or assembly? The receptionist needs to attend!
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New receptionist, the others all know. To be fair, I did insist that I was fine. My own fault 🤦♀️
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You deserve a medal for what you persevere to do every day I’m in my 50’s with children left home and I can’t imagine how I would have coped back when they were school age, with MS. I was diagnosed at 42 so by then my kids were pretty independent and I could still walk and drive a fair distance but now I have to use a mobility scooter best thing I ever bought you wouldn’t have to worry about finding the car keys or parking
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There’s something about walking what you know from your pre MS self used to be a short walk that now feels like an uphill struggle 🙂
It happened to me at the weekend when I walked much further than I’m used to, it’s so tiring.
Your post made me smile when I read it 🙂
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