That moment you realise the school project is due… today.

It’s a perfectly normal morning. You’re sipping your coffee, maybe even feeling a tiny bit smug that you’re ahead of schedule. Then it happens.

Your child looks up from their cereal and casually says, “Oh… by the way… my science project is due today.”

Time stops. Your coffee goes cold. The mental math kicks in:

• It’s 7:15 a.m.
• The bus comes in 25 minutes.
• You have zero poster boards, no glitter glue, and not a single fact about the life cycle of a frog in your immediate memory.

Welcome to the School Project Emergency.

The Chaos Phase

You’re in a whirlwind of printer paper, frantic Google searches, and questionable art supplies from the back of a junk drawer. A shoebox becomes a diorama. The dog’s glittery chew toy is now “decorative foliage.” And that leftover spaghetti? Let’s just call it model volcano lava.

The Negotiation Phase

You pitch the “minimalist” approach: “What if we just explain it verbally? Like… a TED Talk for kids?” Your child’s face says, Absolutely not.

The Triumph Phase

Somehow — somehow — it comes together. The bus driver gets a child holding a slightly damp, vaguely sticky project board. You get a moment to breathe and wonder if maybe, just maybe, you should start checking the school calendar more often.

The Moral of the Story

Every parent knows: it’s not the big events that test you — it’s these small, chaotic, panic-fueled moments that prove your problem-solving skills (and caffeine tolerance). Next time? You’ll be ready. Or at least you’ll have a stash of poster boards in the closet.