I was in a doctor's waiting room yesterday, which is pretty normal for me. A week without a doctor's appointment is as rare as a blue moon, it seems.
In the waiting room with us were a few other kids, sitting quietly, looking at books. A few minutes later, their mother came out... with more kids. I started counting to myself. Two. Three. Four. Five. She's pregnant with her sixth. They must have been a home-schooled family because the older kids were definitely school-aged. Everyone was very well-behaved and the older ones helped the younger, and thus their mother who despite her calm demeanor, looked exhausted.
While I was reading books to my own, I overheard this mother say to her youngest (who looked about 1 1/2), "Leave mommy alone right now, please."
I can't tell you how much this encouraged me. I'm not the only one who says such things to her children! I'm not alone in my need for time to myself with no-one hanging on, climbing up, tugging, or otherwise touching me. Sometimes I feel guilty for feeling this way, like a really good mom, a truly selfless and loving mom, would never turn away a child or hide in the bathroom or burrow under blankets on the couch like a hibernating bear or a turtle retreating inside its shell once the kids are in bed and the housework is done.
And maybe that's true. But I'm not there yet. I need quiet and rest from the constant demands of me now and then. And it's good to know I'm not the only one!
