Are you always late?

@mommyboo (13174)
United States
September 11, 2008 10:09am CST
What sort of situation do you thrive on? Are you always late? I'm a planner and I usually have something set up but I am still almost always late lol. I don't LIKE rushing but somehow or other that tends to happen because kids are slower getting ready and I HATE waking my daughter up. Sometimes the stars align just right and good planning equals early, but it's so hard to know ahead of time what will happen. Are you always late (despite great planning), always early, or mostly on time?
11 people like this
74 responses
12 Sep 08
I hate being late for anything. I would rather be half an hour early than 3 minutes late so I always plan to arrive for any appointment at least 20 minutes before the time
1 person likes this
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
15 Sep 08
I would much rather be early as well (but not too early) but honestly, most of the people I regularly do things with understand. I don't usually continue to have a cordial relationship with people who can't deal. I have friends who are sometimes late, as long as it isn't habitual and more than an hour, it doesn't bug me.
15 Sep 08
I have friends who are habitually late it is irritation sometimes but they are friends so you make allowances. My habit of being early used to be a problem at parties where most people will arrive an hour or so after the start time but these days I am usually the maid and get there early anyway to get things ready. The last party I was at was in July on a boat on the Thames and it sailed at 9 pm so everyone had to be on time or swim. I got there at 7.30.
@ANTIQUELADY (36440)
• United States
12 Sep 08
i am never late in fact i'm always a little early. i think it's rude to be late. i have a son who is always late & that drives me crazy. lol. i read an article about people who are always late & they said it was a sign of rebellion. guess he's paying me back for dragging him to everything early when he was growing up. lol
1 person likes this
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
14 Sep 08
Oh, I wouldn't say I was late due to rebellion unless there was a specific reason - like someone stood me up or was excessively late before and didn't apologize or THOUGHT they were entitled to standing me up etc. Most of the time, time just gets away from me because I'm enjoying what I'm doing. I know not everybody can say that. Other times it's due to other things, like I let my daughter sleep or I can't find my other earring or the traffic is super bad... or it's raining.
@ANTIQUELADY (36440)
• United States
15 Sep 08
you never worked by appointment, did you? i did for 47 years & believe me i could tell you who was going to be late because they were late every week. very rude & very aggravating becauce it got you behind w/your next customer & they didn't understand why u were behind.iwas a hairdresser.next time u have an appointment think of out conversation, have a good day.
@34momma (13882)
• United States
11 Sep 08
i am the either always early person on the always on time person. I can not stand being late, and cant stand waiting for others even more. i am always on time or earlier. i have always been that way. waiting for people use to make me sick to my stomach. now i am learning to let it go... not to let the actions of others effect who i am
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
13 Sep 08
You know, I don't like waiting for people either, and that should have taught ME not to be late. Again though, most of the time if I am late it is related to my kids and I can only control that to a point without waking them up earlier.
1 person likes this
@34momma (13882)
• United States
13 Sep 08
planing anything with children involved is a pain in the butt! i try to make sure they are up earlier and waiting for me! because i am quick and fast when it comes to getting ready
@shaggin (72131)
• United States
12 Sep 08
Unfortunatly I do have a terrible tendency of being late for almost everything! I have a playgroup and everytime its at a certain time I'm always the last to arrive even when I am hosting it. Its awful but I really just cant seem to ever make it out the door on time. If I didn't have kids to get ready I might but I don't know its been along time since I was without kids. I would probably just find something else that I had to do instead that would cause me to be late. I told my friend who meets me at the playgroups that she should just start coming about 20 minutes late and then I will be there and she wont have to wait for me. I know she probably hates that I'm late though all the time since she is always so prompt! I feel bad and try to get places on time but its really just so hard for me!
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
15 Sep 08
LOL! I am late to things I host as well! I DO call my friends to let them know I am on the way if they have gotten there before me and wonder where the heck I am. Most of our group is pretty laid back about it, I mean we are ALL moms and most of us have multiple kids. It is really hard to be strict and nutty about punctuality when we have all experienced our kids getting sick suddenly, spilling something on their outfit on the WAY OUT THE DOOR, discovering that somebody only brought one shoe, that you went out and left your purse in the bathroom (so you don't have your license, wallet, snacks, excedrin, bandaids....) etc.
• United States
12 Sep 08
I am a late runner and I STILL have dreams about missing the bus as an adult. I remember my brother and sister ALWAYS leaving for the bus 20 minutes ahead of me, we did have a long driveway, but I always had to leave 5 minutes before the bus came and that is what i would do even though the bus came early sometimes. Now, I am much better about getting out of the house because I set a goal of leaving with the least amount of items possible. Since having kids I fell into this habit of pack EVERY thing and it just got to be a hassle carrying around stuff I never ended up using and made me late. My oldest being out of diapers helped a lot too. If Im nervous about something then yea, I have trouble getting out of the house and Ill always come back for something, like to fix my hair again, thats what makes me late but I definately see improvement from the being half hour late like I used to and 5 or 10 minutes like I am now. I have to admit though I cannot stand being rushed and Im much too laid back for that but for people like me its just better to get up an hour ahead of time instead of having someone telling you to hurry up, it takes some unwinding to get ready for the day.
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
15 Sep 08
I don't like to rush but I also like to sleep, and if I sit down at my desk and start browsing.... Needless to say I have learned down to the MINUTE how much I can cram into the smallest amount of time possible.
@lemayan (188)
• Germany
11 Sep 08
i am the sort of person who likes doing things the last minute,and i always find myself late or just on the nick of time, i have never been the type that keeps time or does things in time, currently am going to school which starts at around 8.00 oclock in the morning, and its not so far from where i live, it only takes around fifteen minutes walk but the funny thing is that i always leave the house 5 to 8 or worse 8 on the dote i cannot seem to get of the house before that time
1 person likes this
• Singapore
12 Sep 08
same here! when it comes to school... i never can make myself leave the house earlier than what is required, sometimes even later. weird, huh?
1 person likes this
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
13 Sep 08
When I was in high school, I walked because my house was close. I wasn't generally late but sometimes I would really have to HURRY to make it there in time! If I had been driving I probably would have been even more lax, although it would have been a drier commute (wet climate).
• Singapore
12 Sep 08
Hi mommyboo, No, I am always early. I have good manners so if possible, I rather be early or at least on time unless possibly I know for sure the other(s) would be late.
1 person likes this
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
15 Sep 08
I wish it was easier! When I'm late, it's not by much, a few minutes up to maybe 10 minutes. It's not usually something that is a deciding factor and it's not something where a ton of other people would be inconvenienced, such as to a job, class, meeting, etc.
@Amagnimo (635)
• India
12 Sep 08
Well, not always. I am not always late. But I usually try to be late. What actually happens is that, I am always nearly on time, but the people around for the event are not time, except for VERY official time. For which, mostly I am on time. It just happens and has happened for so many times, that I am earlier than people. At times, when I think, they will be late, they actually turn up earlier than expectations, and then I am deemed to be late. lol. It happens so! lol. Happy Mylotting!
1 person likes this
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
15 Sep 08
Recently I was planning a get together for a friend's birthday and I figured everybody would be there when I asked them to meet, which was 5 pm. Well, even her HUSBAND was late, and I grouched that I could have kept her out shopping for another 30 minutes based on when our friends actually got there! My intent was to have everybody ELSE there before I showed up with her and it didn't work out that way. She was still surprised but I was frustrated because we had to wait like 40 min for people!
@bagumbayan (2705)
• Philippines
12 Sep 08
I want to be on time in any meetings, occassions and work. I inherited it from my father whotold us that we must always be on time and not late on any appointment. So even at work I dont want to be late except of course there are valid reasons. I dont want people waiting for me. Just adjust your time so you wont be late.
1 person likes this
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
14 Sep 08
So much easier said than done! I wish fervently for 26 hours in a day and 8 days in a week sometimes. Either that or the ability to time travel when necessary.
@xiaoyue (204)
12 Sep 08
Well,I am still a student,and some of my classmates always be latte for the classes,especially the first class in the morning,because they can not get up very early.But I am a person who never be late for everything.I always one of the first three students who come into the class.So this is ont thing that make me feel proud.o(n_n)o...
1 person likes this
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
15 Sep 08
It's not hard for me to be early if it's just ME we're talking about. Most of the time time gets wasted while getting other people ready, people who are either too young or small to get ready by themselves or older, bigger people who are giving me an attitude about going. Welcome to life with babies, toddlers, and teens lol.
@cream97 (29087)
• United States
12 Sep 08
No, not all the time. To be honest with you. The only way I am late is if, someone makes me late. Like my husband... I usually am on time if it was just me... But, when there is another party involved then it is different.. I hate being late, especially if I can keep from being so.
1 person likes this
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
15 Sep 08
LOL! Sometimes I threaten the people I am with that if they do not hurry their butts, they will be left at home because *I* don't want to be late and I am only still there because I am waiting on them!
@dropofrain (1167)
• India
12 Sep 08
I am always punctual in these things but do sometimes get late. Since I have always been always punctual I had to wait a lot for people. This is really frustrating so now I try and be late when I am going with someone so that I dont have to wait much. I think I really dont like it when people are late but we have to bear with them.
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
15 Sep 08
Because of this, I am beginning to think that it's good to be PREPARED to be about 10-15 minutes early, then people who cause problems with not being ready have that 10-15 min to get everything together so you can arrive and be on time. It's very frustrating either way to have to wait OR to miss something, and you can't always accept the blame for it either if a situation was beyond your control.
@rbailey83 (1428)
• Canada
12 Sep 08
lol i am always early, but i am usually like 10 or 15 minutes early, sometimes more, which in a way sucks because i end up just sitting there waiting for the other person, but i can't help it, i don't like to be late so i find that i always give myself more time than i need in order to get somewhere
1 person likes this
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
15 Sep 08
I should give myself more time but I can't seem to! Time is such a premium, and there is so much to do with it!
• United States
12 Sep 08
No, NO, NO I HATE being late! When I was a child, my mom was always late for EVERYTHING (of course she had 5 kids to get ready). I remember going to church on Sundays, late, as usual and having everyone turning around to look. lol I HATE that feeling. Now, I am almsot ALWYS on time...and in most cases a little bit early. I do not like tardiness and do everything I can to avoid it. I always get my things together at night before I go to bed, that way if I wake up late, all I have to do is grab my clothes, get dressed and run! I did this with my children too. All of their school things were laid out on the sofa at night along with their bookbags and anything else they needed for school the next day. This saved us many mornings when we overslept!
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
15 Sep 08
This is a good idea, to prepare the night before. I do this sometimes if I'm worried that I will have trouble getting things together.
• Romania
12 Sep 08
Hello Mommyboo I prefer to be early then late and I hate when persons are arriving to late and I have to wait for them. Sometimes I also I'm late but this happens because I have to wait for other persons to get ready but we move faster to the destination to arrive in time or to be just a little bit late. If for some reason I will be late I will call that person and lat her/him know that I will arrive late. Take care and have a great day ScarFace
1 person likes this
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
14 Sep 08
I do that too, I will call people because I feel bad if I'm running late. I want them to realize i am not standing them up and that their time is truly important, I just have... well.... a little u-turn in the road on the way lol.
@subha12 (18441)
• India
12 Sep 08
no never. i am such a person who is always everywhere in time. rather i must say i am before schedule everywhere. I also plan my things well.
1 person likes this
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
14 Sep 08
I didn't have as much trouble when I didn't have a kid lol.
• Canada
12 Sep 08
Ugh I hate being late as well but no matter how early I start to get ready something always happens and I am rushing at the last minute and usually end up late . I am always stressed out when I have to go some place because I know no matter how hard I try I am going to be rushing to get there even if I plan well in advance .
1 person likes this
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
13 Sep 08
I'm kind of resigned to feeling that way whenever I am preparing to go somewhere, and even if I'm not late. It's the concern that just a few minutes wasted is the difference between being on time and being late lol.
• United States
12 Sep 08
i am a planner.. i want to know whats going on and what the plans are ahead of time so i can be early.. if i am on time i freak out because thats too late to me.. i figure anything can happen from point A to B so plan for crap to happen to where i wont be an hour late anywhere.. and for the most part it works
1 person likes this
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
13 Sep 08
I try to plan for crap too but somehow or other I have deluded myself into thinking it takes less time to drive somewhere than it actually does!
@cheeeryl (95)
• Philippines
12 Sep 08
When it comes to going to school or work, going late has been my problem. I wake up early but I always arrive late. Since grade school, I am known for coming late to class. When I started to work, I always receive memos and written warning letters for committing habitual tardiness. I was never proud of coming late. But in really important situations, like in a meeting, I arrive early! So I guess my coming to late depends on the gravity of the event..
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
14 Sep 08
I totally agree! I kind of filter things the same way and am on time or late accordingly.
@neeens (61)
• United States
12 Sep 08
I am one of the biggest planners. I actually use my cellphone for that too. Every hour is pretty much planned and when people call me at the spur of the moment for something (even if I'm not doing anything), it's a bit hard for me to get ready and want to go out. Despite all that planning, I'm actually a person who is always late.. it's really bad. I mean I make it on time (classes in the past, church, meetings, etc.) but I always push it to the last minute. I don't know... I get too focused on my makeup/hair and almost every time I get so OCD and have to check all the doors are locked and gases are turned off and pretty much that every electric thing is off. So yeah.. I'm mostly on time, but to the last minute or so and usually I'll be late like couple minutes. Sigh
1 person likes this
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
14 Sep 08
I'm really not tooooo OCD except for when my daughter was an infant I used to do things that mimicked ocd tendencies just because I didn't want to forget something I'd need after I was away from home. I'm the type of person who won't want to go back if I forgot something so if it's VERY NECESSARY, I'd have to make sure I had it. I have arrived at the store before with three grumpy starving kids and then been confronted with the fact that although I have my keys and my purse, I don't have my WALLET, or we get to Costco and I can't find my Costco card! It's all I can do to not jump up and down and scream my head off lol.