I was driving. My daughter, who was then about 5 years asked: “Mom, how do you get to be in charge?”
“What do you mean? In charge of what?” I answered.
“Like, you’re in charge of all of us. How do you get to be in charge?”
My friend, and mom of two boys, called me at that very moment and I deferred to her. “Mel wants to know how I got to be in charge of everyone.”
Her response, “Oh, right, that’s the booby prize. “
It’s true. I am the person who keeps the budget, who finds the missing shoe, who keeps track of who goes where, and when, and so on. It certainly reads like a boss’s job, yet I don’t feel like a boss. Bosses go out to lunch, they don’t prepare the meal and also clean up after everybody leaves the room. Bosses wear nice clothes. I wear what I slept in. Bosses get a paid vacation. I don’t even get paid. Bosses have an office door that closes to indicate they would like privacy, and they get it! Well, that’s fun to imagine.
If I had an office, with a door to close, it would be lovely. There would be a
built aromatherapy machine with a selection of never empty essential oil bottles. Alexa would know exactly what songs to play based on the scent I chose and she’d also give me at least on complement, deserved or not. My oversized bathroom would have a whirlpool tub and somebody other than me, would make sure the towels were clean, abundant, and fluffy.
I would close the door and nobody would bother me. But just in case they could not stand the thought of not being heard, I would offer an option.
IF THIS IS A TRUE EMERGENCY DIAL 911
otherwise,
you may FILL OUT A FORM
- Leave information about your problem or concern on the form provided.
- Be concise – only one form is allowed.
- Offer a solution to the problem for extra allowance.
- If no solution is offered, there will be a fee, 10% of your allowance.
- All forms will be returned at some point – don’t call us, we’ll call you.
Thinking about Mother’s Day today, there are a number of things given to new moms when they leave the hospital. Items like giant sanitary napkins and baby formula are useful, but they don’t help mothers realize that they need, and seldom get, a quiet place to close the door and simply ‘turn off’ for a short while. A place of their own, or a least somewhere that people don’t barge into or yell that they need us RIGHT NOW!
We may send new moms home with an invitation to get a complimentary facial or a manicure coupon. But wouldn’t it be great if we could, with all the technological advancements available, tuck an office door next to the wet ones in that diaper bag.
