Mothering…the Second Decade
March 29th, 2009
Back in the day of diapers and playdates, I had a vision of the future that included more “me” time, more “me & husband” time, and considerably less “me, me, me” time. (The “me, me, mes” being our son and 2 daughters.)
I was naive.
Sure, they dress themselves, feed themselves, and even do their own laundry. But don’t ever think that just because they’re teenagers, that they don’t still need Mommy & Daddy! Follow below for the synopsis of one spring break day this week…
3:20 am: Mom (not Dad) gets up to 1) assure that child #2 is awake, dressed, and on-time for early flight to NY; 2) make child a TSA-approved lunch for flight; and 3) chat w/child #2 and get her out the door to awaiting ride.
3:50 am: back to bed.
6:30 am: up to make coffee & husband’s lunch. Breakfast, email & morning business for me. Empty dishwasher.
8:00 am: wake up child #3 for physical therapy appt. (She had foot surgery 6 weeks earlier.)
8:05 am: shower (yipee!) and dress.
8:25 am: feed dogs.
8:30 am: drive child #3 to PT. Fill out paperwork. Start appt.
9:10 am: answer call from child #1, interrupting physical therapy. Child #1 needs winter parking pass he left in my vehicle. Now. Tell him I’m busy, but he can drive to parking lot and retrieve it himself.
9:45 am: finish PT. While out, drop off movies and pick up more bandages for child #3’s foot.
10:30 am: return home, field text messages from child #2 that her flight was; 1) delayed; 2) they finally took off; and 3) she has window seat.
10:40 am: start work on client job from home office.
12:00 pm: assist child #3 with replacing foot dressing and PT after her shower.
1:00 pm: quick lunch. Plan is to walk dogs—it’s a beautiful day and rain is scheduled to reappear soon.
1:10 pm: answer phone call from child #1’s cell. It’s his friend, notifying me that child #1 is in emergency room on mountain and that child #1 will call me himself when he knows how badly he’s injured. OK. Scratch the walk. Wait for more news.
2:30 pm: child #1 calls to tell me he has a separated shoulder and they’ll be coming home soon.
2:35 pm: leave husband voicemail message about injury.
2:40 pm: Google AC separation to learn more. Ouch. Now I have child #3 in a walking boot and child #1 in a sling! Hope child #2 stays safe…
2:45 pm: husband returns call, we Google together.
3:00 pm: child #2 texts me that she’s landed. I text her back about her brother’s injury. Texting flurry ensues. I do not text fast enough.
3:10: pm: back to work. Phone conference scheduled for 4:00.
4:00 pm: ready for conference…files open, notepad, etc. Wait for client to call.
4:15 pm: still waiting. I call client and leave VM. Dogs whine for dinner.
4:30 pm: feed dogs.
4:45 pm: client calls.
4:55 pm: injured child #1 returns home. Dogs go wild. I’m still on phone with client, but manage to say hello and see that he’s OK, remove dogs from office and continue conference.
5:30 pm: husband returns home. Same ruckus as above. Continue with client call.
6:10 pm: finish call. Husband has left house to run errands and drop off child #3 for sleepover. Dogs quiet. Remaining family hungry.
6:15 pm: I call husband to request take-out.
6:45 pm: husband returns with take-out and and we enjoy dinner while teasing child #1 about his misadventure and lame landing.
7:30 pm: wrap up a few things in office.
8:00 pm: watch a little TV with husband.
9:00 pm: tired. Call it a day.
That was my day mothering teens. Some things change a lot from when they were little. Some things, not so much. All in all, it was a good day. Everyone was safe and happy—including me—I had a shower!