Soapbox

I am going to take a little seat and vent for a moment. I truly try not to complain on the blog but the more I think about this, the more I feel like this is in order. Any woman can tell you that once she becomes a mom; a different world opens up, one that you had no idea existed. At every town or base we go to, I always have the luxury of meeting different woman/mothers and have made wonderful friends. Some I know will be our friends long after the military. However, along with this I have also meet women who literally crack me up. First, there is the mother I like to call “LOD”. Lack of discipline Mother is usually the one whose child hits, bites, kicks, throws and basically shrugs it off as if no biggie. I often find their response is “I keep putting him in time-out but he just runs away so what is the point” Anyone who knows me, knows that I could really care less how you raise your child, but the moment your child hurts my child and you shrug it off will be the moment I introduce you to my mouth! (It has happened folks) Moving on, the next mother I always seem to attract is the Competi-Mom. She is the one who immediately has to let everyone know how much she spends on her childrens outfits and toys. The one who looks down at anyone who shops at Wal-mart but in funniest of coincidences that is the exact place you keep running into her at. Now, this is not a “Holier than thou” vent because my good friend Carmen can tell you that I am a Competi- Mom, but just on the opposite side of the spectrum. She and I will try to beat each other on who got the best deal. Like, “Oh yeah, well I got this for 75% off” kind of talk. I actually find that more exciting to see who got the better deal. Plus, if you’re married to Eric it has to come willingly. Now, those are two very normal circumstance for everyone but just recently I have met a whole new type and the sad thing is it has nothing to do with gender. In a way I actually have learned so much about the type of person they are. As mentioned in an earlier post I have been taking care of our neighbors little girl. Our neighbors were caught in a bind after a family member backed out and their spot at the daycare was not ready. Now, I have always said that I have the greatest and the hardest job of my life being a stay at home mom, but it is something I know is a privilege and especially during these economic times not everyone can do. So when I saw another mother frantically worrying about her daughter (who I have know since birth) knowing I am right next door, I offered my services. Now, this is a paying job so I am not in any way being a savior but I took on the responsibility of helping them for three months. Trust me it does get busy with three little ones but she is the easiest. She is still at the wonderful stage where she is in the exact place you left her and since she doesn’t talk, I never hear any back talk. There are days when they come to pick her up I try to hand over one of mine in her place. To be honest I truthfully didn’t think it was a big deal and she has been on my schedule anyway from the time she was 3 months so I knew it would work out just fine and it has being her last week with us is next week. Okay, back to the my soapbox, Seeing how Gabrielle has A LOT of dark hair and just simply doesn’t look like me, the first question out of other moms mouths are “ Who’s is she?” When I explain “That I am babysitting her for a friend” these are the responses I get: “What on Earth would make you want to take on someone else’s child”, I hope they are paying you a butt load, because that is crazy”, “This people are not even related to you and you still offered to help them”, and my most favorite one of all “Really, at what age do you take kids.” After I explain to them that this is a special circumstance and that I have no ambition to be a daycare provider than they look at my like “Than why do you do it”. One lady, after expressing her negative attitude had the audacity to invite me to join her church. I responded immediately with, “Uh, no thanks!” Secretly thinking, I would have better luck joining a church where I had to become the 16^th wife; at least I know I could depend on the other 15 wives in time of need. What came out of this whole experience was being shocked how people reacted. I honestly feel it wasn’t a big deal to help someone else out even if it meant giving up my time. I would hope to God, that if I was ever in need, I wouldn’t come across these women. My point is, due to the multitude of negative responses, am I just the crazy lady who took on more than other people can chew or do people really think it is a dog eat dog world and giving is a mere act of depriving oneself ???? Enough time on the soapbox!

“We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give”. Sir Winston Churchill