Our society has a pre-defined formula for what should happen on Mothers Days. It reads like a prescription from the Doctor’s office: Mom gets homemade trinkets from her children of their affection; breakfast in bed and then taken out to eat for dinner. It is a pretty standard response to the day, but what Mom wants may be very different from what she is getting. And in addition, her idea of what she wants may change from year to year. I admit outright that I am a bit different than the usual Mom, but I am sure I share some similarities with my fellow Moms out there. In my case, I usually try to escape off to some remote location for Mothers day. Yes folk, I want nothing more than to be by myself. My heartfelt desire is to have a day where I am not responsible for any life form in the house at least for a little while—I want to read a book in peace, take a nice walk in the woods. As selfish as this may sound it takes a toll on you to be responsible for everyone in the house all the time. You are responsible for the kids not running in the street, for adjudicating their domestic sibling disputes, for putting suntan lotion and bug spray on them and feeding them balanced meals, and making sure that they make good decisions. The list is endless. When you think about it, most everything that happens in your children’s lives is governed by you. Although it may seem fun to be in an all powerful totalitarian role (like God), being the dictator can get overwhelming at times. And yes—even Dictators need a vacation. So my biggest preference on Mother’s Day is to have a day away or turn all of my parental authority over to my husband. My favorite phrase on Mother’s Day to say is “I am not the parent on duty—go ask your Dad about that.” Then I very loudly escape off to the Mall where I am welcomed by endless hours of peace and quiet, of window shopping, getting a manicure, and sipping a cup of tea without having to say, “Stop that—keep your hands to yourself! Was that really nice?” I close my eyes and think. When will I be back? “Later” I whisper in my mind. “Later.”
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Mothers Day Get Away
Our society has a pre-defined formula for what should happen on Mothers Days. It reads like a prescription from the Doctor’s office: Mom gets homemade trinkets from her children of their affection; breakfast in bed and then taken out to eat for dinner. It is a pretty standard response to the day, but what Mom wants may be very different from what she is getting. And in addition, her idea of what she wants may change from year to year. I admit outright that I am a bit different than the usual Mom, but I am sure I share some similarities with my fellow Moms out there. In my case, I usually try to escape off to some remote location for Mothers day. Yes folk, I want nothing more than to be by myself. My heartfelt desire is to have a day where I am not responsible for any life form in the house at least for a little while—I want to read a book in peace, take a nice walk in the woods. As selfish as this may sound it takes a toll on you to be responsible for everyone in the house all the time. You are responsible for the kids not running in the street, for adjudicating their domestic sibling disputes, for putting suntan lotion and bug spray on them and feeding them balanced meals, and making sure that they make good decisions. The list is endless. When you think about it, most everything that happens in your children’s lives is governed by you. Although it may seem fun to be in an all powerful totalitarian role (like God), being the dictator can get overwhelming at times. And yes—even Dictators need a vacation. So my biggest preference on Mother’s Day is to have a day away or turn all of my parental authority over to my husband. My favorite phrase on Mother’s Day to say is “I am not the parent on duty—go ask your Dad about that.” Then I very loudly escape off to the Mall where I am welcomed by endless hours of peace and quiet, of window shopping, getting a manicure, and sipping a cup of tea without having to say, “Stop that—keep your hands to yourself! Was that really nice?” I close my eyes and think. When will I be back? “Later” I whisper in my mind. “Later.”
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