When your gut tells you to stay, it’s best to listen to it.
Don’t be swayed by the big sad green eyes saying she feels just fine.
When the green coloring in her face matches the color of her eyes, it’s best to pull over and give her some fresh air.
Now, under her green blanket, with a green ginger ale bottle by her side, her color is coming back.
Bye Bye Green. Please spare the rest of us.
My daughter is delightful, beautiful and dutiful. She is charismatic, energetic and dynamic. She is everything I imagined she would be and much, much more. But she is just 6 years old and has a lifetime of lessons and laughs and tears to experience. Yesterday, she received her first lesson in being singled out in the classroom for being disruptive.
I came home from work in a mad rush to get homework done, dinner cooked and served before driving my husband to the airport. As I approached the door, my daughter was behind the glass with a letter in hand and tears streaming down her face. Yikes! I could see that my afternoon plans would need to make room for an unexpected situation. Through the tears and sobs, dogs barking and my son’s painfully detailed account of his play date with his best buds, I was able to ascertain that my daughter was laughing and giggling disruptively during a school assembly over a funny boy and was reprimanded when back at the classroom.
Initial thought…..really not a big deal at all. Been there. Done that (circa 1981, 1st grade, Ali and I giggling in the chapel insistently….Sister 5 teeth Gerard praying for our sinned souls) but it quickly dawned on me that this was a significant moment. I am her mother. It’s my job to explain to her that her actions disappointed not only her teacher but me as well. I am sure whatever was hilarious was truly hilarious but it was disrespectful to those leading the assembly. She seemed to comprehend the message I was trying to convey and she accepted her punishment with grace.
Later that evening while driving home alone from the airport, it was becoming clear that like my growing daughter, our relationship was growing and changing too. It made me think of a quote I came across back in college in one of my literature classes. ”A mother is not a person to lean on, but a person to make leaning unnecessary.” The quote didn’t quite make sense back then, having been just a daughter. Today, being both a daughter and a mother, the meaning is crystal clear.
Of all the to do items on this working mother’s list, grocery shopping is by far the item that is detested most. Despite the many perks supermarkets have incorporated into the shopping experience (food samples in the isles, free babysitting, express check out), the idea of taking a full hour of precious time to food shop plus loading and unloading the car, make me wish a magic fairy godmother would wave her wand and POOF! have my groceries delivered to my front door.
Well readers, this wishful wish is now a reality! Over the past year or two, I have been hearing more and more about this grand service of grocery delivery. But it wasn’t until I received a coupon in the mail no more than 24 hours after having this very conversation at the 6am kettlebell class, that I have decided to give it a try.
The coupon boasts $15 off my first order AND free delivery for the next 60 days. AND this is where I become skeptical. How much is delivery? How long do I have to wait to have my groceries delivered?
My fellow working moms, the delivery is $10 and my order is expected to ship tomorrow night! I took my normal shopping list and purchased everything but the fresh fruits and vegetables (I was warned not to). Much to my amazement, the entire order was about $45 cheaper than my normal bill in addition to the $15 off and the online coupons I used.
For this working mom, I am sensing the start of something very special.
*My overall assessment will be given upon delivery and review of my order tomorrow night. Dear Peapod, Please don’t fail me.
When I was younger, I wondered what love was. Almost thirty five years later, I think I may have a guess.
Love is…
…knowing that man sitting across from you at Noodle Gourmet is the one.
…dancing with your dad on your wedding day as he holds back the tears.
…the moment you hold your newborn in your arms for the very first time.
…your child telling you that you look beautiful.
…seeing your child be caring, polite and sincere
On this Valentine’s Day, I am in love with all that life has given me and eager to see what else I will learn in the next thirty five years.
…
Small Moments. Life is made up of small moments. Some of them we catch and some we miss.
Being a working mom, I imagine I may have missed more than a couple. There are those I missed because I was too busy getting dinner on the table after a hectic day at the office or the ones I missed because I was too engrossed in the work I was finishing up on my laptop while working from home. I have missed school functions for important meetings and missed meetings for important school functions. Such is the dilemma of a working mom.
And just when I think that I can’t continue to manage this intricate dance, a simple small moment changes everything.
My daughter’s class was hosting an Author Celebration. The children write a short story, illustrate it and then read their work to the visiting parents. At the most recent Author Celebration, the class not only wrote their story by hand, but rewrote their story in Word and printed it. When I complimented my daughter on her story, she turned to me and said, ”i can do it because YOU can do it.” I am not sure exactly what she truly meant by this, but I could see that my hard work and dedication to things outside the home are not lost on her.
I caught this small moment. I treasure this small moment. It fuels me for now.
