TAL Challenge: Mama Days

Act One: The Build Up

Every morning Sam asks, "Who's staying with me today?" No matter how I answer that question, the kid's got it pretty good. It's either his aunt, his grandma, the nanny who has known him since he was a baby, or me. The first three are super fun and like to take Sam on adventures, real and made up. But his favorite answer to that question is, undoubtedly, Mama. Exclamations of joy and fist pumping typically follow that response.

Act Two: The Reality

I'm not really sure why Sam loves Mama Days so much. I mean, I get that I'm his mom and all, but Mama Days usually entail some combination of house cleaning, laundry, weeding, grocery shopping, email answering, and cooking. And by that I mean that I am doing the above while Sam and his sister play, fight, cry, snack, watch Doc McStuffins, or nap/fight napping. Sure, we also go to the park or the library or out to lunch or just stay home and play pirates, but those things happen with less frequency than when he is with any of his other caregivers.

Act Three: The Melt Down

Another key feature of Mama Days is the melt down. One of us will at some point (or at several points) lose it. Especially if--like today--it's the third Mama Day in a row. I might, for example, raise my voice or even swear when Eloise drops her plate A G A I N before she's even eaten a single thing. And Sam might then start to cry because "that's too loud" for him and "why are you so mad?" And Eloise, well, none of that gets her going, but she will cry incessantly when she doesn't agree with the shoes you've chosen for her or give her a cup with, god forbid, a lid on it.

So, in conclusion, three things:

1) Mama Days are hella hard;
2) work outside the home is a gift; and
3) you couldn't tell it from this post, but I actually wouldn't trade Mama Days for anything.

Some things you just can't even begin to explain.