The Worst Hour

Between the dark and the daylight,
When the night is beginning to lower,
Comes a pause in the day's occupations,
That is known as the Children's Hour.
--from "The Children's Hour" by William Wordsworth

This poem was written by Wordsworth to remember the special time he spent with his children each day. I am not a poetic scholar, but this poem, which I used to teach in my classroom, crosses my mind quite often.
Our family has a "children's hour" of sorts after showers are taken each night. The boys can pick if they would rather play with us or read books. Because of their early bedtimes, time does not allow for both. I look forward to this time every day when we can play and be together with them. It will be nice as Teresa gets older and can join us, too. She likes to start her beauty sleep at 7pm most nights, which is usually when I am just finishing the dishes.
But--there is an hour prior to that which is not at all poetic like Wordsworth's. At precisely 5:30pm the boys start to chase each other around the house, Teresa gets fussy, toys start to fly, & the screaming starts (from both the children and myself) all as I try to make supper. It is the "Worst Hour." It does not matter what kind of day we have had. Worst Hour is a given. Every Worst Hour is much the same and usually ends with the boys being banished to the basement until their dad comes in the house.
It is not just my children who are affected by this time of day. I feel it, too. At that time, the main work of the day has been completed, it is too late to start any projects on the kitchen table, our favorite TV shows are over, and I am ready to see my husband again. We are all trapped together with nothing better to do than get on each others nerves as the minutes slowly crawl toward 6:30pm.
I wonder if Wordsworth's wife had Worst Hour, too. If she did, I would like to read her poem . . . .