Sometimes moms do things they don’t love in the name of necessity sanity. Sometimes we just think about doing them. Example: we were sitting in the back row at the swearing in ceremony at the City & County building surrounded by police, private security, fire, our finest citizens and civic leaders, so this is obviously the best place in downtown SLC for a mother to abandon her 8 yr happily seated eating nuts like a little squirrel to go put quarters in the parking meter. Except I’m pretty sure it would also be the best place for a mother to get arrested for child endangerment and that is why I have a $15 parking ticket verses a date in family court.
Enter the local community center and it wonderful treadmills. Treadmills which allow me (sick-o) to run but not be too far from help if the need arise (please don’t tell the staff that last part, they’d freak!). Add to that lure of running in place a descending & extremely inaccurate voice regarding the purchase/use of previous gym passes. You want me to do something ask nicely. It works best if you are a man. If you need me to do something tell me I can’t or tell me I don’t/didn’t. Then get out of the way as fast as you can. FYI, I’m going to use the hell out that pass. But there is a little glitch to the plan that 8 year old squirrel named Beach, I seem to be her stay at home mom and home school teacher…..hum, so I can go early when it is crowded and late when it is crowded. Crowded equals 30 minute time limits on the treadmills. Reverting back to the life where showering makes no sense because you are headed to the gym morning 30 minutes and night 30 minutes which still shorts me my usual 90 minutes. OR they have childcare for a buck-fifty so you can go at off peak hours 'mommy hours'.
Okay, first of all no way will she agree to go to baby care.
And second, no way will I leave her there.
So we talk about it agree that if either of us feels bad about it we will simply walk away.
Oddly enough she got really excited, so excited she couldn’t sleep!
I however am her mother. I remember the phone calls home from Sego Lily, I remember the fingers gripping the play yard bars at Kindergarten. I can’t stomach the idea of me running happily & her in misery.
We spent the morning doing math and reading then dashed out the door when I read the day hours ended at 11!!! Once at the center we located the daycare. Mommy lie number one: it is the same the building as the gym. In fact, it is not really in the same building as the gym. She forgave me my ignorance.
Mommy lie number two: there will be one maybe two other kids. Well seven is sort of like two and I didn’t lie about them being younger- they were all babies!!!
It was nice and clean and we greeted so sweetly but my heart said NO.
Beach however said YES. I left Beach and bunny at a small table to color.
Okay, I can admit I shortened my work out. I couldn't stand the worry. I did 30 minutes on the treadmill & 20 on the bike then sprinted back to the daycare (sprints are good).
Through the glass I could see her still sitting at the table. It looked to me like she was gazing out waiting for me to come back. >sigh< Well, she wasn’t. She was doing a puzzle with one of the nice ladies. She had colored 2 pictures and lived through a baby with an airplane crash landing on the table. She told me they did have food but it was that ‘tube of yogurt thing’ aka goyurt and ‘that cylinder cheese that falls apart’ aka String Cheese. She said she would happily come back any day…funny although that works great for me I don’t love it. Give me time. Until then it is me, meanwhile back at the gym running in place and Beach the brave being Beach where ever she is.
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