The Inner Most Fears of a First Grade Lad

Before I share the fears, I think you should know that today might have been one of the most challenging days I've had in a long time. I should have known the moment I got out of the car this morning and the wind nearly knocked me over. Seriously? This is SOUTH CAROLINA! One of the many reasons I desired to live in this region was to get away from the arctic blasts so why must you follow me? The rest of my day was pretty typical {except I was treated to lunch by a sweet friend and rockin' preschool minister - thanks R!}. However, the moment I changed roles from professional to parent at 4pm, it all seemed to go down hill. I left work with the little boys and headed to pick d1 up from afterschool. I went in to get him and the workers used their walkie talkies to call for him. I waited. And waited. And waited. Um, should we check the batteries on these things? Do you actually know where my kid is? I mean, what's the malfunction here? And while I waited, I kept an eye on the other two in the car. They were fine for the first minute or so. Then I witnessed d2 attempting to suffocate d3 with one of my reusable shopping bags and there was just not much I could do about it. Sure, I waved my arms and yelled 'STOP' but he couldn't hear me with the car windows up and the 60mph wind gusts. He just waved back. Thankfully, d1 finally appeared and we went on our merry little way but this small delay set us back on our schedule and, on Monday nights, we have no wiggle room as it is. Fortunately, I made dinner last night so that all we had to do was warm it up. And yet somehow we still ran out of time. I walked in the house at 5:00, heated up the chili cheese pie, packed some snacks, wiped a counter or two, pleaded with d2 to eat a few bites, cleaned up d3, gave in and scooped all of d2's dinner into d1's bowl for his seconds, grabbed a diaper and walked out of the house at 5:15 for practice. All without ever removing my coat or heels. I usually have at least a minute to change myself into jeans and tennies but not today. This proves to be a significant detail that I will never again overlook. That practice was the longest hour of my life. In heels. d3 was OVER the snacks after the first 15 minutes and wanted only to be on the court. In all my efforts to keep him out of harms way, I really can't believe I never fell. I'm not that graceful to begin with so adding a few inches on a waxed floor is really not a great combination for this clutz. I'm happy to report that we had no injuries....at least, not to this point.

On our drive home, I was ROLLING with laughter at our conversation....

d1: Tomorrow is our field trip to Oakleaf Village. I need to dress nice. It's for the old people. They like us to look clean.

Me: Maybe you shouldn't call them 'old people.' It might hurt their feelings.

d1: Yeah, I know. That's what Mrs. Hegwood said. She also told us that we can't ask why they live there. And if they're in a wheelchair, we can't ask about it. And if they don't have husbands, we can't ask why.

Me: It's probably best that you follow these rules.

d1: I know. I'll try. We made them stockings today and put candy in them. Except no Laffy Taffy. Did you know that if they eat Laffy Taffy, their teeth will fall out? Why won't it pull my loose tooth out?

Me: We'll talk about that later.

d1: But Mommy, Mrs. Hegwood also said we can't ask about their skin. {in a very serious tone and slight whisper} I'm afraid she means that the old people have moles and you know how I'm scared of moles. What if they try to touch me? I might cry.


What exactly does a mother say to that? Obviously I wanted to validate his feelings but I couldn't help but burst out in laughter. Poor kid. I can't even be his confidante because I'm too busy giggling. Not at him, just at his freakish fears, totally inherited from his father's side.

I got home, put the boys to bed and did some prep on our homeless feeding for tomorrow. So what if, in the process of cleaning up the kitchen, I smacked my head on my HARD granite counter and fell to the floor in writhing pain? No blood, just a small lump and one giant headache. Maybe it was payback for laughing at the boy.....

Oh, and one more thing. I know that I use a lot of humor on my blog and it's all in good fun. I do find it especially entertaining when D1 is the focal point but in all seriousness, I LOVE my life. Really and truly love it. I chose this life of being a career mom and I wouldn't change a thing. Even on chaotic days like these, I love what has been given to me! Just the other night, I went grocery shopping with d3 and as we were walking into Publix, an elderly lady {maybe that's the term d1 should go with tomorrow} stopped me and said, 'Did you know that this is the best time of your life?' Yes, it is.