Momtruths

There's this theory out there, that going back to school for kids means Moms sit at home, alone all day, waiting for their precious cargo to return so they can dote on them. And while there is CERTAINLY some truth in the concept that when your kids head off for that 7 or 8 hour period, we Moms all miss them to various degrees, there are also some other truths.

1) We really enjoy having a cup of whatever we drink in the morning. In peace and quiet. Even if we have to wipe down the crumbs the kids left before we can sit in the chair, it's lovely to just have that little bit of time.

$PullQuote$2) For at least some measurable period of time, we have no one to blame but ourselves for the condition of the house. (This one cuts both ways, obviously)....

3) We get to turn on whatever music we want while we clean. And sing along. Loudly. Without anyone reminding us that the windows are open and the neighbors can hear.

4) We get to go the restroom. By ourselves. With no one fighting, pounding on the door, or otherwise interrupting us to tell us that (my personal favorite)...they didn't know where we were. One caveat though is that with no one else home, the likelihood that the phone will ring is directly proportionate to whether you brought it in with you or not.

5) We can trust that once we've used the restroom, the seat will stay down until the children returneth.

6) We can actually walk through the grocery store at our own pace. And not have someone breathing down our neck asking "are you done YET?" because they are in a rush to have us take them elsewhere to play with others.

7) We can eat whatever we want for lunch (as long as we log it) without anyone messing up our portion sizes by taking bites of "ours". Or by having to make foods that the kids leave us that we end up snacking on....

8) We can have ENTIRE conversations on the phone without anyone crashing into us, trying to start a whole NOTHER conversation WITH us, or grabbing our attention because NOW is the time they test that whole anti-gravity concept...

9) We can walk around the house and actually hear ourselves think. We can watch television shows that we wouldn't get the chance to finish if they were home (of course this is while we are folding laundry or practicing taekwon-do or cleaning up). For that matter, we actually get the opportunity to exercise. And not just a little, but to actually exercise for long enough to burn some serious calories.

10) Despite all of the above, we get to look forward to them coming home. And we appreciate all the little moments more. Somehow, the little annoyances and intrusions seem less annoying and intrusive when we've missed them. We get to talk to them. About their day, about their accomplishments and struggles, and about their experiences. And we get to listen to them share with us without having experienced it ourselves