Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Full-Time Mom

By Kelly

As we were driving home from the final soccer game of the season yesterday morning, I looked in the rearview mirror and asked the kids, “So are you having a fun summer so far?”

“So far!” wailed Natalie, eight years and one day old. “Summer is over!”

“No it’s not,” I retorted. “Let me look at the calendar once we stop. School starts late this year, because Labor Day is late.”

I pulled out my new Blackberry at the next light (motto: More Horsepower in a Phone That I’ll Ever Need) and consulted my calendar app.

“There are three, four, five, six weeks of summer vacation left, Natalie! And we’ve only had four, six, seven so far. That means summer is just a little more than halfway over.”

“Oh,” she sighed, relief tingeing her voice. “That’s good.”

We pulled into the driveway. I pushed the automatic buttons to open all the doors on the minivan, unbuckled the baby from her car seat and started to unload the soccer gear from the field and the milk and bananas from the grocery store.

Natalie straddled her bike and said, “I guess six weeks is better than Dad. He only gets two weeks of summer each year.”

Connor, backing his own bike out of the garage, chimed in, “And Saturdays and Sundays.”

“True,” I said with a smile. “He does get weekends off. But everyone gets weekends. Except for people who work unusual shifts. Like Papa, since he was a pastor, always worked on Sundays. So he took Fridays off instead.”

I grabbed the sidewalk chalk out of Teyla’s mouth and turned to see Natalie wearing a quizzical expression.

“But Mom,” she said, “if you’re the cook, the driver, the ultimate survivor, the doctor, the cooker, your man thinks you’re a looker, you work all day and you never get paid, when do you get time off? Moms never get vacation. Or even Saturdays and Sundays.”

True, Natalie. True. We do it for the love of the job.

Besides, as Go Fish says, nobody could afford us anyway.

Kelly is a full-time mom to three kids and a part-time blogger at Love Well.

10 comments:

  1. Wow, so young and she gets it already! I think mine still have NO clue and won't for years. I love that you didn't even need to point that out to her.

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  2. Oh, this is so true - one of the things I never imagined about being a mom! :) Totally full-time! :) But, yeah, I love it! :)

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  3. So true and she already is getting it. The life of a mom!

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  4. Haha! I've never heard those lyrics before. Very true, very true.

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  5. You've cheered me up a bit about summer not being over. : )

    Steph

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  6. Man! Six more weeks?! Schools in SC start back the 2nd week of August.

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  7. I can so agree with being a full time mother,and a
    grandmother. I have 4 grown children 2 boys 2 girls. I also have 5 grandchildren. A parent has
    to juggle work, home caring,personal situations.
    Whether it be time for others instead of ourself
    we often find ourself saying yes,yes,yes, when
    we are in need to others. Like I say we chose to do what we do and we can be an inspiration. A great role model to our up and coming daughters. A great mother will set her time aside and take great care of her well deserved children,grandchildren.

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