I thought I was long past having to drag my kids to work with me. But boy was I wrong.

I remember a few times when the boys were tots, having to stop into the newsroom to finish up a story or sit through a story edit on the weekend. I would haul them along, One on my hip the other holding onto my coat or just tagging along behind me. I'd give them a few pieces of paper, crayons and a fruit snack and they would color until I was ready to leave. They were rarely ever a problem. If I said sit here until I’m done, that is exactly what they would do. For the most part.

Although, now that I remember, Trey was better at it than Jordan. I didn’t even have to have something for Trey to do for him to sit in one place and not move. If you told that boy not to move he wouldn’t move even if he had to sit for hours. He’d just fall a sleep. Jordan, on the other hand was a bit more of a rascal. I better have something to keep him occupied or he would definitely find some trouble to get into; a computer to take apart or a file cabinet to climb on top of. And he was quick too. Honestly, sometimes he made me think that putting him on a leash wouldn’t be a bad idea. I never did it, but I thought about it.

But now the boys are big. Heck the oldest is a legal, beer drinking, adult - 21. The baby, not a baby at all. At 16 he’s the tallest in the house, has the deepest voice. Still, with the hectic scheduling he and I have these days there is no way for me to meet the demands of my job and the taxi-driving demands of his extra-curricular activities on the weekends without a little creative planning.

And so, for the past few months on Sunday’s I’ve had to make Jordan tag along with me to work. At least I don’t have to think up some activity to keep him busy. Besides it’s been just for a couple hours — three at the most — while I worked at the Kansas City Store on the Plaza. So while I worked he walked around the Plaza or went over to book store and read for a while. No problem. It actually worked out perfectly, because by the time I was done working it was time for me to take him to his rehearsals at UMKC or Shawnee Mission East High School, neither too far from the Plaza. Plus, in between, on the drive, he and I got to chat. Pretty cool. That’s when I’d ask all those nosy mother questions like, so do you have a girlfriend?

But this past weekend took the cake. I had to work eight hours at the paper, starting at 8 a.m. he had to be at rehearsals at 1 at Shawnee Mission East High School. We live out in eastern Jackson County. The only way to do it all was to be really creative. He would have to come to work with me. All day. And, no matter how late he stayed up Friday night, because teens always stay up late on the weekend, he would have to rise early. No sleeping in.

So Sunday we schlepped into the office at 8 a.m. I worked. He had an essay to write. Kind of like the crayons and paper. Keep the boy busy, you know.

About noon, on my lunch break, I drove him to rehearsals then hauled butt back to the office to finish my shift. No time to eat. His rehearsal ended at 3 p.m. but I didn’t get off until 4 p.m. He had to wait about an hour and a half for me to pick him up. When I got there he was sitting in a corner dozing. It was crazy. My schedule is crazy. His is crazier. When I saw him slouching in a folding chair, asleep. I felt like a horrible mother. Mama guilt is a you know what.

I can’t wait until he’s driving and can get to his events without the mama taxi. Of course then, I’m sure I’ll just worry all the time about his safety on the roads. And, to tell you the truth I’ll miss the in between time when I have him captive in a car and he has to talk to me. But at least my take your kid to work days will be done.