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Go Nigel, Go!
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Would You Like To Buy My Monkeys?
Aug
24
You Can’t Always Get What You Want, But If You Try Sometimes, You Might Find, You Get What You Need*
by Leslie
I’ve gotten into a habit of grabbing a little time to myself each day. I slip into the bathroom and soak in a bubble bath for about ten minutes and complete a Sudoku puzzle. Often times, I don’t get my ten, sometimes even fifteen minutes, until 2 or 3 a.m., but still I get it. I like it. It’s nice.
This evening, I was bold and attempted to take my ten minutes while Julia was still awake. We had finished dinner and the rest of the family had settled into their evening activities. Julia and I had played some Strawberryland, Memory, did a Lite Brite thingamabob, and read a few books together. She took off and busied herself with a puzzle, so I jumped at the chance to get some low-guilt tub time.
It didn’t last long.
About four minutes in, the door slammed open.
“Mom, I got da pick ups,” Julia said hiccupping, “and I wanna baff wiff you.”
Her clothes were already off and down the laundry chute before I could even respond. She jumped over the side of the tub and splashed my Sudoku book. She wet a washcloth and placed it on my head.
“I am Ariel. You are Prince Eric.”
And we played The Little Mermaid for a very.long.time. After I finally convinced Ariel that it was time to get out, I dried her off, combed her hair and sent her to her room to put on pajamas. She said she wanted to play a while and I said ok, went to my room and got comfortable with my iPod.
Halfway through “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”* by the Rolling Stones, my headphones were being pulled off by tiny toddler hands to the chant, “I need Woohooo Weeehooo. Wooohooo Weeehooo.” (That’s Julia-speak for “The Sweet Escape” by Gwen Steffani.)
I was tired and just wanted a little peace, so I found the song and handed it over. I went and grabbed my Sudoku book from the bathroom and sat next to Julia to complete my puzzle. She was propped up on my pillow, my headphones almost engulfing her head, little feet bouncing gently as she sang along. I was staring at her when she looked up at me, scrambled closer to put her head on my shoulder, patted my leg and said, “You’re da bestest mommy in da world,” and planted a kiss on my chin.
I thought, “That’s easy for you to say, you little tub-hijacking iPod burglar.”
After her requests for The Cars (specifically “Shake it Up”) and “I Love Rock and Roll,” she returned my iPod, “Tank you, Mom. I go to bed now.”
And she did.
I reclaimed my iPod, hit shuffle and soon “Sweet Cherry Wine” by Tommy James and the Shondells was filling up my ears and I was taken back to the bedroom I knew in junior high school. I could almost feel the uneven squares of the carpet samples that covered the floor beneath me where I would sit next to my stereo speaker and listen to that song again and again. It was on a vinyl record album I had taken from my mom’s collection without asking. I remembered how I used to follow my mom into the bathroom before bed, sitting on the side of the tub while she bathed to talk her ear off about everything I cared about. I remembered how good it felt, just to be near my mom, to be listened to. It felt so good; I’d go on talking and talking, about anything, just to make that feeling last a little longer. And I remembered how that music we shared became the only thing that kept us talking for a while as I grew up and further away.
I got up to move close to Julia. I put my hand on her back to feel it rise and fall with each sleepy breath. I felt thankful for being too exhausted to act annoyed by her interruption of my “me time.”
Best Mommy in the world? Hardly, but I’m working on it.
Comments
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Categories
- Daily Haiku
- Mommy’s Stuff
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You Should Do This
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Ooooooh. Aaaaah.
Only you can make me cry & laugh in the same post.
I am all too familiar with the Hijacking of “me” time, but you are right. I loved those talks with my Mom when I was little. I had 3 brothers & I loved to be able to have some Mom time all to myself. My Mom worked evenings & I used to love to get up when she got home at 11:00 p.m. & sit & chat with her.
Today you helped me be a better Mom…..thank you.
Okay. I think we’re soul sisters, because I love “Sweet Cherry Wine”…best song ever!
So sweet!
Oh, Leslie, you just hit so much of what it is to be a mom. So much of it. What a beautiful post.
Awesome… and I totally knew what “Wooohooo, Weeehooo” was before you even said it. That’s what I always thought that song was actually called…
Sounds like you both are lucky to have each other.
Good post and picture. I love it.
That’s so sweet! We’re all working on it, huh?
When the boys were smaller and we took baths, there was no playing Prince Eric. We played the great white shark is going to bite your naked butt. Fun times.
Great photo! Love the post! GOOD CHOICES! made me laugh!
This is a gorgeous post.
Working on it and succeeding at it, indeed.
You are a beautiful Mom. An inspiration!
Lovely. Great, awesome Mom. Happy for you.
I’d say I know what you’re talking about and I sorta do since I helped raise my twin nieces for several years but I don’t know that I can truly empathise. I do know that this post made me tear up and laugh at different times.