This weekend has been… uhm… let’s call it eventful. My kids, who are usually pretty good at being cooperative, have been cranky, tired and uncooperative. Outings that are normally a pleasure felt like an enormous chore. Sort of sad, really, as I love the time I spend doing fun activities with my kids. It’s disappointing when it doesn’t go well.
I’ve been feeling a little off, a little less patient, a little less tolerant of those minute to minute struggles that are inherent to developmentally normal toddlers.
And as I sat on my sofa, at nap time, dreaming about a vacation from my family, I experienced a revelation. Being a mom is a great job with a crappy contract.
Having a child, being a parent, is an international goal. And a damn strong one. If it weren’t the human race would die out. I mean really, how many women crave 10 months of morning sickness, heartburn, back pain, swelling of the extremities and leg cramps? And labor? Seriously… who wants that? It stinks. None, they crave the baby the pregnancy will bring them and they tolerate the unfortunate symptoms for the sake of the end goal. They even come back for more; have multiple children via multiple pregnancies.
We either really want our children or we are gluttons for punishment.
I love being a mom. Anyone who reads my blog regularly knows the extent to which I love my kids. But sometimes, I have no interest in cleaning noses and refereeing between two kids over a silly plastic toy. Sometimes, I just want a day off to read a book and hear my own thoughts.
It’s a good thing there’s no mom contract to sign, because a day off wouldn’t be in it. Neither would the guarantee of a full night’s sleep, time to eat a meal or time for a shower. In fact, if the contract were to be drawn up honestly, would anyone sign it? I probably wouldn’t. Who, in their right mind, signs a contract that includes “restraining 35 pound toddlers in public shopping venues” as part of “other duties as assigned”? We would also have to include a few notes about the role of human Kleenex and creator of meals that get dropped on the floor carelessly.
I’d sign that. Wouldn’t you? Riight… me neither. But I would never trade my kids or my family life, not for all the money and freedom in the world. They are my heart and soul.
I guess that’s what makes me a mom. And I guess I did sign the contract. Silly me.
Nice analogy, Lisa!
ReplyDeleteSide note: do you know how to enable the mobile view of your blog? I usually read your blog on my iPod Touch, which has a small screen, and I have to zoom in a lot to read the text. There is a way, if you go into your settings, to set what your blog will look like when it's viewed on a mobile device (I think it's under the "Template" menu in your blog settings. If you have not changed to the new blogger interface, though, I am not sure where the option is). If you can't figure out how to do this, give me a call and I can try and talk you through it. It's not essential, but for people like me accessing your blog primarily through small touchscreens, it makes the reading experience a lot easier to manage and even more pleasurable! Keep up the writing...I love it!
Erika