I think there should be a union for stay-at-home moms. I know, we don't get paid so what's a union for and how would we pay for union dues. But something's gotta be done for moms so we can get sick days, too. Other hard working citizens get days off--sick leave, personal leave, heck even weekends.
So when's my break?
I got sick Wednesday night and felt terrible the next morning. Later I felt worse when I had to disappoint Keahi and his friend Derek by canceling our playdate. I just didn't feel up to watching 3 kids when all I wanted to do was crawl into bed and shut out the world of "mommy, I want..."(I had actually had 4 boys the day before since I had overbooked myself with both Caleb and Derek overlapping--Yikes.) After Anne Marie finally got Derek out the door with the promise of pizza and trick-or-treating together the next day, Keahi cried for half an hour. "I-I-I'm saaad because I wa-wanted Derek to staaaaay!" Bad mother.
Oh, and did I mention I also yelled at Keahi in the school playground when I picked him up? Yeah, my "Keahi Sui Loong, come here right now" sure got the other moms' attention. Furtive looks and whispered comments as well. On Iosepa st. Sister Oleole's "Kupa'a, get your but home right now" reverberated throughout the neighborhood quite regularly and never got a single shocked reaction. Only you-better-get-going looks from his friends.
So I had 2 grumpy boys to mother instead of 3 hyperactive, happy ones. Maybe a lateral decision on my part.
Iz said he'd come home early to help out and he did get home about 3:30pm and he did make tuna sandwiches for dinner. I'm grateful for his help. But is it bad of me that I secretly hope for a union to proved a pool of well qualified substitutes to fill in when I'm sick? I'm not talking the kind you might have had in high school when they'd sit at the desk reading while you watched a video that may or not have anything to do with the teacher's original planned lesson. I'm talking about the ones that step right in and continue where the teacher left off so that when he/she returns to class the students are up to date, the grading finished, and a complete review provided to ensure a smooth transition to the next lesson. Because as much as I appreciate not having to make dinner, it would be so nice to have a fill-in mom to do the laundry, clean the kitchen, do the floors, read to the kids and provide stimulating and creative activities for them while making the Butternut Squash soup with Bacon and Swiss Cheese I had planned as well as the spiced banana bread--and not give the kids 2 of the 3 bananas needed for that bread. So tonight I will do the laundry and clean the floors (Iz awesomely washed the dishes and will make a pie crust for tomorrow's Apple Butter Pumpkin Pie I want to try out)and probably not get to bed as early as I should.
Moms need sick days, too.
I'll vote for any candidate that can show a serious plan for this goal. We could call it something lame like Moms Out Miserably Sick. I'd vote for that.
5 comments:
sorry you're sick, but wow! i've got to read your blog more regularly. you're good. i remember that feeling. not having a substitute though is what makes mothering the hard core occupation it is. there's nothing else quite like it. it's like if you loved your students and had no objective distance and still had to make them toe the line daily. my kids acted worse if i told them i particularly needed them to be good so i ended up deciding that in general it's better to wear the mask. you're last saturday post tells me why you can't function fully when you're sick. wow. you make the most of the city attractions. i miss that e and a are no longer there.
I'm with you! They'd have to get grandmas to do it, because only experienced moms would realize that things like laundry need doing. I guess that's why so many people live near home -but that doesn't work for us. Get well soon - the world needs you. (ps - to avoid all those "mommy, I want"s on really bad days my sister will tell her boys that mommy went on vacation - she's just Jessica today.)
I'm no where close to being a mom, but I'm with you. You should get 2 weeks of vacation, unlimited sick days, and at least 4 personal days per year. I mean really. Moms are people too! :)
My friend, who has plenty of money, was asked by her husband where she wanted to travel before #2 arrives. When she was pregnant with #1 they traveled all over India. This time her husband suggested Morocco. She said that is she could go anywhere in the world it would be her mother's tiny city in Brazil just so that she would get some help with her son. Her husband didn't get it and was talking to us about it. I TOTALLY got it. This is why we spend all our savings on trips to Brazil and Hawaii.
I hope you feel better. I am so lucky to have a Husband who is as much of a stay at home dad as I am a stay at home mom. The down side is that unfortunately the same way that society doesn't value stay-at-home-moms it also doesn't value 2 parents working part time so that both equally gets to be home with the kid. This means that we'll probably be below poverty level for the rest of our lives. You guys on the other hand...$$$$$!
I'm really sorry about the banana's Hon'. Will you forgive me?
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