Why, tell me why?

Children up at the crack of dawn, blaring the television, fighting for a spot in front, a kick to the groin sends one in to wake his parents.

“Mom, Junior kicked me in the privates!” he yells at the top of his lungs.

“Do you guys realize it is five o’clock in the morning?” Mom questions.

“But it hurts …”

Mom attempts to rise from her comfortable bed, only to fall out and onto the floor. “Thanks, floor, I always knew you’d be there for me when I’m at my lowest,” she said to no one in particular. Following her son out to reprimand the children and chase them back to bed.

Mom considered her predicament, this has been going on for weeks now and she needs to be creative in rectifying this situation.

Mom and Dad quietly discuss their options; after all, tomorrow is April Fool’s Day, the perfect day to get back at the children for waking them up so early and so frequently. They set the plan in motion.

That night they get all the children tucked into bed by nine o’clock and the plan begins. Once they are certain all of the children are asleep they go through the house turning clocks ahead four hours and brew a pot of coffee.

At two o’clock in the morning alarms sound for the children to prepare for school, but only Mom and Dad are awake. The alarms ring for forty-five minutes before they run into each child’s room telling them to hurry up, they are late for school.

Wearily, each child rose and began their morning routine, while Mom and Dad tied shoes, zipped coats, and cherished their morning coffee. As the children headed out to school at three o’clock Mom and Dad yelled, “April Fool’s!”

Junior looked angrily at his parent’s, “Why, tell me why…”

“We merely wanted to show you guys what it is like to be woken in the middle of the night,” Dad said as Mom snorted with laughter.

Each child went back inside, dropped everything where they stood, went back to bed and never woke their parents before six o’clock in the morning again.