Thursday, April 15, 2010


So, have yall had a good week? Ours has been busy and, well, a little disconcerting at times. In brief, Sam and I have been adjusting to finding alternate care for Hopper during the day so we have been experimenting with home daycares and meeting people who provide home care and may I just say: there is a shitload of crazy in this world. Combine this with the fact that I am ever-so-slightly neurotic about parenting things sometimes (really? you didn't feel the need to wipe that snotweasel? really? doesn't bother you at all?) and then you have a regular volatile sitch-yew-a-shun. As in, they don't know it, but the next person who tells me that they provide "healthy snacks like tater tots" and only let them watch "good TV" like Veggie Tales and I will lahooose it. Please don't get me wrong, I have enjoyed a fried potatoe or two in my life, I just don't ever classify it as "healthy." And oh, Veggie Tales...why couldn't you just be a kid's cooking show? I don't want my son to learn about morals from a piece of asparagus. psssh, don't be silly, everybody knows it's much better coming from Magic Robots.

The thing is, I know I'm being irrationally judgmental of these people and it's not even giving me a brief pause. I have been a parent for, what, 13 months and suddenly I am Lady Knowledge of All Smartypants? It's just hard to hand over my son to someone who names all their kids names that start with the letter Q.. regardless of whether they are actual names or not (says the person who named their son Hopper...see what I mean? I am judging you). And the thing is, the Q lady is perfectly nice. I just am finding it very hard to keep an open mind and not see every little thing as potential for longterm damage. It does not help that everyday that I pick Hopper up, he clings to me like a baby marmoset. I know he has fun during the day and he's getting so much more activity with other kids, it's just when I walk in and he puts the arms around my neck in a vice grip and BAM! stab right to the heart.

Why oh why can I not find a european nanny that will work for pennies a day? They could teach him to speak German and how play little autoracing card games and how to wear socks with sandals (what? it's a skill). But no, we're stuck in the reality that causes me to print out articles on how Baby Einstein is a RIPOFF and discussions of what constitutes "fresh fruit" (hint: it isn't strawberry gummi bears).

So, send us calming vibes over here. I know we'll get there, it's just a little ..difficult this week. Sigh.

3 comments:

Blue Gal said...

Sadly it will never be perfect. But it does get easier.

Aunt Robby said...

Funny, I saw this post coming up when you were telling about the potential sitter that had so many other kids. I thought, yeah-Lee being the newby to mommyhood is not going to like this. Now I know I was slightly neurotic when Connor was born so don't think I disagree with you. Some people are just wayyyy too laid back for my standards. I would love to move down and watch my buddy all week, but I don't think you could afford me.

Juliet said...

We're in the same situation. When I had Ryan, we could afford for me to stay home with him, which I happily did for the first 4 years of his life.

But with Carleigh, we can't afford for me to stay home. I'm only going to be with her for 3 WEEKS, and then I have to go back to work. I'll only be working part-time, but it's just killing me.