Reason #66 – I don’t see my baby for days on end
Reason #66 – I don’t see my baby for days on end
Aug 13I never see my boy. EVER. I leave the house early for work, and then I go gallivanting till the wee hours and let the sitter pick up, feed, bathe and put C to bed. I come back so late that he’s asleep when I come home and I don’t even have to give him a goodnight kiss. That boy is nothing but a hindrance to my party lifestyle. I need to think about my priorities.
That is exactly what my mother would have said if she had caught me last Tuesday, when I got home at *gasp* half past nine and didn’t get to see C because he was already too busy sawing logs.
The mothering world is classified into several distinct categories, and I finally found mine.
The SAHMs (Stay at Home Mothers) are the old-school kind of moms, who don’t work outside the house but have to deal with kids, pets and home 24-7. My respects to each and every one of them. I’d go postal in 36 hours.
Then there are the WAHMs (Work at Home Mothers,) which is the kind I’d like to be. I entertain visions of C running in the park while I breezily write post after post on my laptop. But my bosses won’t hear a word about telecommuting, a pox on their anachronistic rears and I totally respect that.
That leaves the WOTHMs (Work Outside the House Mothers,) the post-feminist moms who leave the kids in daycare, work for 8 hours, and then collect said kids and deal with them. No mean feat, either. I hear most of them do it without a live-in babysitter, and I cannot for the life of me imagine how.
But me?
I dropped C at daycare at 8 in the morning, worked for 8 hours or so, and then met with my designer to go over a bunch of Top Secret Plans* for 1000 Reasons.
My designer also happens to be a good friend, so we talked shop over a lovely meal, then proceeded to watch a Mother’s Day fashion show, stroll through an art gallery, do a spot of shopping and gossip our rears off and then talked more shop, ahem. So much work to do! It’s work if I say so, dammit.
And that is why I stayed out so late that I didn’t see my kid.
I guess that makes me a SOTHM.
Who’s up for shopping and cocktails a work meeting sometime soon?
*So exciting! Watch this space!!
You FORGOT, those of us with FAKE kids……who work outside the home and forget we have FAKE kids for months on end until a coworker reminds us that we HAVE a FAKE kid…..
jules recently posted Just Us
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ofthesea Reply:
August 14th, 2010 at 8:23 am
But you still haven’t told me the story!
Which, by the way, I am DYING to hear.
Tell! Tell!
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I’m crazy jealous.
I have no daycare. No babysitters. Just me, and my Mom helping out tons like an angel- but not TAKING THEM.
I want someone to TAKE THEM. Just for a night. So I can sleep.
Anyone up for the job? I’ll totally give you a pack of gum- or something…
Kelsey recently posted Guest Post Alert!
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ofthesea Reply:
August 13th, 2010 at 8:28 pm
Come over, red rover!
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Love your website! In fact I get my daily “Recommendations for Better Parenting” from my mom as well. Married in the 1950s she’s been a great mother, grandmother, wife, etc. You and Me? We single moms with jobs and friends and lives will never be June Cleaver.
Today’s Topic of Improvement was helping my son with his homework in a more effective and productive manner (in other words…quit ignoring his sloppy work that I let go to his teacher). To add frosting to the homework cake today’s letter home from the teacher that I (stupidly) shared with Grandmommy included instructions that we parents now have to Review and Sign said homework….and make corrections.
BLECK!
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ofthesea Reply:
August 13th, 2010 at 6:55 pm
I think you and me, we should embrace suckitude.
And our moms should Suck. On. It.
(just please don’t tell my mom I said that!)
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Amy in Atlanta Reply:
August 13th, 2010 at 7:56 pm
I shall Suck on my Pinot Grigio tomorrow during Mommy Happy Hour Playdate with my Suckitude friends!
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ofthesea Reply:
August 13th, 2010 at 8:04 pm
A-MEN!
Shame on you!!!
Just kidding. I haven’t had a day like this in a while, but a mom can hope. LOL
Alana Morales recently posted Blogstalking Friday – Friday the 13th
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ofthesea Reply:
August 13th, 2010 at 6:57 pm
If you haven’t, you should. It is your god-given right.
Go on, I am giving you permission. Feel free to print it out and show it to anyone who asks.
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You gallivanter, you! I’d like to be a WAHM. Where I get paid to wipe butts and mold young minds and do whatever it is I’m doing. Instead? I get whining.
Cheryl @ Mommypants recently posted Good luck with that
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ofthesea Reply:
August 13th, 2010 at 3:27 pm
I gallivant. I am a gallivanter.
1000 Reasons I’m a Gallivanting Mom
I like that!
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I am a WOTHM (and so is my husband, well, he’s a WOTHF! :) and we don’t have a live-in babysitter but I can’t say that I won’t go postal one day. It’s VERY possible! :) So perhaps I need a live-in sitter to prevent that from happening! Now if I could find that money tree to afford this!!!! :)
Christina recently posted Name change
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ofthesea Reply:
August 13th, 2010 at 1:33 pm
I hear you on the postal. I hear you. I don’t know what I will do when my Adi starts going to college.
Come to Costa Rica, help is so much cheaper here!
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My husband sometimes goes all week without seeing our kids since he works 50 hours a week plus commutes 3 hrs a day. But becasue he’s a man, he gets away with it and no one judges him. Talk about a double standard!
I telecommute. Even though my boss could care less if my kids were home with me all day, I still pay $1,200 a month for daycare. There’s a reason most companies don’t let you bring kids to work with you – you don’t get any work done with them around!
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ofthesea Reply:
August 13th, 2010 at 12:03 pm
I want your boss. Let me know if your company is ever hiring!
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Try working outside the house & coming home after dealing with numbers all day to 6 kids. I used to say work was my vacation from home.
Well yesterday was officially my year anniversary of working from home. This summer being inside with seven kids was an adventure. But we got through and I checked all kids and they’re still alive so I guess we’re okay.
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ofthesea Reply:
August 13th, 2010 at 12:01 pm
There are not enough medals in the world for moms like you. You have my complete, fawning, swooning admiration.
And hooray for Twitter at work! (not that either of us uses it, of course)
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SAHM’s saying grace: Nap time.
“You will take one whether you like it or not because Mommy needs a drink and some time with her friends (aka the Internet). You don’t have to sleep, but by God, you have to go to your room and be quiet. If you’re not bleeding or setting fire to something, you don’t need me for the at least the next 45 minutes. Have fun, kids. I love you, and I’ll love you even more after nap time.”
Of course I’m just kidding though. The only kid of mine that takes a regular nap is the youngest, and it’s because she isn’t mobile yet. She has no choice. The other two get blessed with a movie. And if you ask them how they feel about nap time, they will say I am the BEST. MOM. EVER. because they got that movie.
Yep, Mother of the Year in the making.
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ofthesea Reply:
August 13th, 2010 at 11:17 am
If I ever give out an award, Gertie, you’re totally nominated!
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I have thought about going postal a few times!
Hanan recently posted my 100th post
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ofthesea Reply:
August 13th, 2010 at 11:04 am
If you can still think about it, you are on the safe side.
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