My Time

As a working parent you learn to cherish those small moments of time to yourself. These are few and far between and most of the time you feel as if you’re overindulging by taking them. Clearly something is up because there is no way I have these 10 minutes of time to myself. And by the time you figure out what you’re going to do with yourself the moment is over.

The perk to working nine hour days is that I get every other Friday off. This has proven to be a wonderful schedule both in its flexibility and the chance it gives me to get caught up on the home front every other week. Keeps things at an even keel, so to speak. Because of the holidays the kids had not been consistently to a full week of daycare in a better part of two months. So when my Friday off loomed at the beginning of last week I very guilt free declared that the kid’s would be going in and I was taking Friday to be ALL BY MYSELF. Just the thought had me tickled, I would spend the morning getting everything done house wise and then the afternoon sitting on the couch, watching Oprah and doing NOTHING. Or basically doing whatever I wanted. In peace and solitude.

Moment of silence with me now for the day that never was.

Wednesday morning Teddy’s eyes looked a little bit irritated. By Wednesday night we knew he had pink eye. I was also literally near tears because I knew what that meant. It meant a Thursday pedi appointment and a day home with the little man while the antibiotic worked its magic. It meant a Friday at work because I have too few sick hours to my name right now and a pile of work sitting on my desk. It meant no guilt free Friday off. It meant no afternoon peacefully watching Oprah, taking a nap or, God forbid, reading a book in silence. As much as I felt for the babe, well, I was feeling sorry for myself too. I eventually got over myself, booked that pedi appointment, got whatever house stuff that I could on Thursday and hit that pile on my desk on Friday. Teddy was back to his old self by the weekend, life moved on. But I still want that day back.

The next Friday off is the 11th. I’m not counting on anything yet.