A Day in the Life

:: Start You wake up to see the sun already high. The alarm didn’t go off. The kids are still asleep. You’re already late, and your heart is pounding. What do you do? * [[Wake them gently|Wake]] * [[Yell to hurry up|Yell]] * [[Call a friend to help with childcare and school dropoff |Neighbor]]

:: Wake You gently shake them. One stirs, the other groans. It's slower, but there's less crying. [[Continue|Traffic]]

:: Yell You yell. They jolt awake, but one starts crying. You’re dressed and out the door, but tensions are high. [[Continue|Traffic]]

:: Neighbor You grab your phone and dial a friend who is also a neighbor to help with drop-off to daycare amd school. She is not available. You get in the car with the kids. [[Continue|Traffic]]

:: Traffic You’re finally in the car, but now stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Daycare closes drop-off in 10 minutes. Your mind races. You can’t be late again or they willl charge you a late fee. What do you do? * [[Honk and try to push through|Honk]] * [[Call the daycare to explain|CallDaycare]] * [[Take a side street|SideStreet]]

:: Honk You honk and inch forward. A car lets you pass. You make it—but barely. The daycare manager frowns at the clock. (set: $stress to $stress + 2) [[Continue|Work]]

:: CallDaycare You call. A calm voice answers. “Thanks for letting us know. Please try to be on time next time.” (set: $stress to $stress + 1) [[Continue|Work]]

:: SideStreet You veer off the main road. Less traffic, more stop signs. You’re 5 minutes late, but the door is still open. (set: $stress to $stress + 3) [[Continue|Work]]

:: Work You finally get to work. You sit down, log in, and just as you open your email, your phone buzzes. It’s the school. Your child has a fever and needs to be picked up. Again. * [[Tell your boss and leave|LeaveWork]] * [[Ask your boss to work remotely and leave for school|WorkRemotely]] * [[Call your friend to help|CallFriend]]

:: LeaveWork Your boss sighs, clearly frustrated. “Again?” But you leave anyway. You do what you have to. (set: $stress to $stress + 1) [[Continue|Hospital]]

:: WorkRemotely You explain situation to your boss and ask if you can finish your tasks from home. Your boss says he will get back to you. Another call comes in. And another. You rush to the door, just in time as your boss walks up and says its okay to work remotely. (set: $stress to $stress + 4) [[Continue|Hospital]]

:: CallFriend Your friend agrees to help, but says this can’t be regular. She picks the child up from school and texts: “Fever 101.5 – looks miserable.” (set: $stress to $stress + 2) [[Continue|Ending]]

:: Hospital The urgent care waiting room is crowded. Your child is flushed, hot, and miserable. Your other kids will be out of school in 45 minutes. * [[Wait and hope you're seen in time|Wait]] * [[Call Day Care and explain|CallDayCare]] * [[Beg the nurse for help|Beg]]

:: Wait You wait. And wait. Finally, you're called, just as your phone shows “School calling.” (set: $stress to $stress + 3) [[Continue|Ending]]

:: CallDayCare You call Day Care again to tell them you will be late. They tell you they will give you a grace period of 60 minutes, and after that if you or your emergency contact does not pick them up, they will call Child Protection Services (CPS). (set: $stress to $stress + 4) [[Continue|Ending]]

:: Beg You walk to the nurse, eyes pleading. She glances at the clock, then nods. “Ten minutes.” (set: $stress to $stress + 1) [[Continue|Ending]]

:: Ending (if: $stress <= 5)[ You made it. The day was brutal, but you survived. The kids are in the car. You exhale. “You did okay, mama,” you whisper to yourself. ] (else-if: $stress <= 9)[ You’re in the car, heart pounding. One kid is coughing. Another is crying. You blink back tears. You whisper, “Tomorrow. I’ll try again tomorrow.” ] (else:)[ Everything feels like a blur. The school called again. Work emailed. You don’t even remember driving home. You sit in the car, hands shaking. No one’s judging — but it doesn’t help. You're just tired. ]