Mornings have become a battle ground at my house, but it isn’t because of any of the usual things (wearing someone else’s clothes, grabbing the last pop tart, getting in someone’s way, stealing mom’s socks, not getting ready, failing to get out of bed, etc.).

My oldest child, 17, has to drive to school at least twice a week because she takes afternoon classes at the local community college.

My second-oldest child has decided that she hates to ride the bus to school.

That picture is of the two of them in one of the rare moments when they are smiling and looking like they might actually like/love each other. (On a similar note, their behavior towards each other was so much sweeter when they were younger as evidenced by the family videos we watched while decorating our house for Christmas last week.)

As a result, my second-oldest child, without asking, will just get ready slow enough that she has to ride with her older sister.

Apparently, this is the way to kill/torture/maim the older sister because the older sister is never happy about this. It seems she would rather have her eyelids cut off than have her younger siblings ride in the same vehicle with her despite the years they spent in the same vehicle together.

I was driving to work and received a phone call from the oldest child who was concerned that younger siblings were planning on riding with her. “I’ll take the bus and not drive,” she threatened me. I wasn’t worried. I told her to not worry about it. She started objecting and complaining, and I said goodbye and hung up.

You see, the second-oldest child has already called and asked for alternative school-carrying means to be approved. I had approved them. The younger siblings were not riding with the oldest nor on the bus, but they were hiding that just to aggravate the oldest child. It worked.

The next day, the oldest child found a way to get the upper hand. She got up, got dressed and let it be known that she planned to ride the bus. When the bus arrived, all four children went out the front door. The oldest walked slowly toward the bus.

As her younger sister crossed the road to get on the bus, the oldest child waved bye and turned around and came back in the house. She planned on driving all along but didn’t want her siblings to know about it. It worked once, but I don’t think it will work again.

And I have to wonder, what is so wrong with siblings riding to school together?