We were sitting in Ballet as we do every Friday afternoon. Fridays are absolute craziness for me… the one day of the week that I wish wouldn’t arrive and can’t wait for it to get over. I always arrive at Ballet class irritated, cranky, rushed, etc…
This is how my Fridays normally go…
3:30am wake up
4:50am arrive at work
5 to 2 work work work for a job were I am underpaid and under appreciated
2pm leave work for the mad dash to the daycare, where if traffic cooperates I will be there by 2:45. Grab Lil Critter and dash.
2:55pm arrive at the kindercare door to get K3 and rush to the girls bathroom… strip… put on tights, leotard, skirt and run back into the hall before the bell rings to get K2 and K1.
3:00pm grab all four kids by the coat, hat, whatever I can grab to get a grip on them and try to dash out without getting getting stopped by the principal or one of our many wonderful teachers. (Usually someone stops me… “who is the Naturopath you see?”, “How are things going with Daddy gone?”, “Ideas for the next PTC meeting?”)
3:15pm we are finally all in the car and buckled in. I still have to buckle everyone in… why is it that even my 7 yo’s cannot buckle the seatbelt around their boosters?
3:30pm we rush into Ballet class right as class is starting… trying to manipulate K3’s hair into a decent bun and get slippers on her feet.
3:35pm… Breathe. Oh wait, I can’t breathe. Lil Critter is turning into an animal about now. Running, yelling, ignoring me. I threaten the car. Somedays, we sit in the car where I can keep her strapped into the carseat. She screams, but at least I am not chasing her around the studio.
3:45pm Head to the bathroom to get K2 dressed and her hair into a bun. Lil Critter thinks its great fun to climb inside the empty lockers and shut the door. I really don’t care. She isn’t bothering anyone and I can see her… that’s enough to keep me happy. Until she decides the lockers aren’t so much fun anymore and decides its time to run in and out of the bathroom stalls. I am still not sure how we have made it this far without her discovering the shower stalls.
4:15pm K2 is dressed and in her class, K3 is coming out of her class and if we are lucky she will find her shoes and get them on without to much drama.
5:00pm we are finally done and headed home
During all this K1 is pouting and wimping about having to come to ballet class at all.
Okay, so by now you are wondering what all this has to do with the judgement thing? Well, let me just tell you. As if my Friday’s aren’t stressful enough on their own. I have to deal with this:
There are these Mom’s at class. They are THOSE Moms. The Mom’s who feel they are superior to everyone else because of their superior ideas and parenting models. I am NOT one of those Moms. I work hard to be a good Mom… I am NOT perfect. Heck, I yell sometimes…. although I wish I didn’t.
These Moms sit down the bench from me and spend the entire time talking about how sending your children to school is doing them a disservice and all the BAD, evil things that happen on school buses. They talk about how they do EVERYTHING right and of course no one else is as good. These are the Moms who don’t make friends with other Moms… because well, no one else is quite good enough.
And one of them had the audacity to reprimand MY CHILD. Oh no you didn’t. I don’t know this woman. I am not her family member nor am I her friend. It is NOT your place to remove my child from the bench she climbed up on to look out the window. “Oh, Let’s not climb on furniture, Sweetie.” Whatever. We aren’t dealing with furniture here… we are dealing with a bench made from plywood, covered with carpet that has cubbies on it for shoes. The very same bench your all too precious little one year old was just bouncing on in your arms. Um. Yeah.
I have real issues with people who think that they are the only ones who are doing it right. Let’s face it. I went to public school and I turned out pretty darn well. My parents would have NEVER considered home school. Now, I have a completely different mentality… but I have had to make choices because of the reality of my world. I had NO CLUE I would be pregnant and raising two little girls on my own without the man I had married many years before. I had NO CLUE that my mother would become terminally ill with a horrific disease. I had NO CLUE that I would be raising my teenage sisters. I had NO CLUE that one of my beautiful, amazing little girls would have serious health issues caused from FOOD. I have taken what life dealt me and I have managed just fine thank you very much. I am not a pity party girl. I do not play the “oh poor me” card. So, I work and my kids go to school and daycare. I work my ass off to make sure they are in a good school with good teachers. I stay involved. I help run the PTC and do the afterschool activities. I am respected. I am raising happy, well adjusted children. Even though my three year old has decided she doesn’t have to listen to me… I will get through this. Having five kids I tell myself… THIS TOO SHALL PASS.
THERE IS NO JUDGEMENT HERE.
