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Nov
04
2009

Motherhood, in a nutshell

There are many ways to summarize the experience of what it’s like to be a mother. Usually it’s something like cuddling, or kissing ouchies better, or first steps.  All of those things are excellent, but they really only show you one small glimpse into what motherhood is like.  I’d like to offer another, more personal experience that I think truly depicts what it really, really means to be a mum.

Today I was in the shower.  My one respite from the noise and chaos that is my children.  They were happily watching a show on the DVR and the puppy had passed out in his little bed for a mid-morning siesta.  I thought I was in the clear for a quick hot shower to get refreshed and ready to take on the day.  So there I am in the shower.  Conditioner in my hair, shaving my legs, generally minding my own business.  I hear yelling down the hall.

“Mum, where you at?” screams K at the top of her lungs.

“I’m in the shower!” I yell back.

“I need to go pee!” she calls.

“Can you do it yourself?” I ask.

“No. I need help.  I need to go peeeeee!!” she yells again.

“Fuck.” I mutter very quietly to myself.  “Can you wait a minute?” I ask trying to finish the one leg I have already slathered in shaving cream.

“No. I need to go pee!  I need to go pee!”

“Alright, I’m coming.  Hold on.  Let me get out of the shower.”

I climb out of the shower, conditioner still in hair, shaving cream still on one leg (the other leg still hairy) and wrap myself quickly in a towel.  I help K onto the potty.  She pees.  I wipe.  I get her tights pulled back up and her dress pulled back down.

“There you go, sweetie,” I say.

“You got my dress wet,” says K.  She walks out the door.

That’s the thanks you get as a mother for getting out of a nice hot shower, in the middle of conditioning, halfway through shaving, to take your beloved baby to the potty.  You have been left standing in a cold bathroom, wrapped in a towel and soaking wet.

That my friends, is motherhood in a nutshell.

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Heather

2 pings

  1. christina procopiou says:

    is this your house you are describing – or mine??
    i’ve taken to taking my showers at night while they sleep.

  2. Reagan says:

    I’m so glad you moved this post over. I’ve been back to read this a few times and Aaron too because we get such a good laugh from it.

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