My boys are 21 and 24. They live far away and go to college and work. I can’t believe I made it. Funny thing is, I miss ‘em like crazy. I did miss most of these school parties when they were young, because I was the only stay at home Mom. I raised 90 % of the children in my town, so I could be home to raise my own kids. I was the only Mom on everyone’s emergency card and I baked, so I did contribute to the parties in my way. Plus I made the food for the teacher appreciation luncheons. I liked it. Probably why I had a cookie business when I first was divorced in 2001 and am now a Personal Chef and do small catering jobs.
In fact, when I was stil married and the kids were younger, I gave at least one neighborhood party almost every month with kids running in and out of the house and parents drinking and dancing and talking and eating. After my husband moved out it all kind of ended. Sometimes when you get divorced people think it’s contagious.
At the beginning of my childcare foray, it was my 6 week old baby who started it. I went back to work for 2 weeks. I was a Children’s Library Clerk. They call them Technicians now. I couldn’t find a babysitter for 18 hours a week and no one in the family would do it. My husband came home to find me crying my eyes out at 11:00 P.M. He took one look at me and said, “Alright!!!!! Quit!!!!!!” So, I did. Within 1 week I had 6 infants (including my own) under 6 weeks old. All part time and kinda at different times. The first one came at 7 A.M. and the last one went home 2 hours after my husband got home. That actually worked out great. The last baby liked men and loud rock music. His Dad was the Lead Guitar for the Eddie Money Band. I met his Mom at Mommy and me class and we became great friends. She was a nurse on swing shift, which meant she dropped Chrisopher off at around 3 and picked him up around 1 A.M. When my husband got home my baby was sleeping, but Christopher was screaming. The minute Don, my ex husband took him from me, he stopped crying and settled in. They turned on the music, I hated it, but I was grateful,they settled into the couch. I got Don a beer and Christopher a bottle, and within 30 minutes they were both asleep. C’s Mom would waltz in in the early morning hours to the boys snoozin’. She told me not to feel bad. Christopher and his Dad did that, too. Later, it was toddlers and Mom’s who would call me on Friday nights, begging me to bathe and feed their kids, so they could hit the bar, like I had no life. Because, you know, Hell, I had no job??????? I was home all day. By then I had my second son. Then the Moms or Dads would crawl to my door on Monday morning, kids still in PJs with a bag of donut holes and never failed to say, “I don’t know how you do this 5 days a week.” After that it was before and afer school childcare. I know, especially for my generation, I’m weird, But I so much would rather do that than any job I’ve ever had. My Mom used to say that I should have been born in 1935 and she should have been born in 1958. She told me many times that she seriously had no idea where I came from. She couldn’t wait to get back to work when my brother was in kindergarten. She’s wrong, though. I’m too outspoken, opinionated, etc. to be a 1960s Mom and she’s too introverted and mealy mouthed to be a 1980s Mom.
This whole party thing, though, really blows me away. In this day and age there’s gotta be a better way to have fun and not get to the point where you just might jump on a knife. Dontcha think?
Sorry…..Like I said…Outspoken…..opinionated. I also act and sing in Community Theatre. Well, have fun. Who knows in 10 years, maybe I’ll be a Grandma……it better be 10 years! Who am I to talk…I had my first at 25.