(aka Parenting in Your 40s)
Me, to my Spouse (enthusiastically): “So, I was listening to this podcast today, and the author being interviewed was just so powerful—what she said about midlife transitions really hit home…”
Kiddo (with the urgency of someone announcing a five-alarm fire): “MOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMYYYYYYYYYYYY.”
Me, to my Spouse (holding up one finger): “Hold that thought. I swear I’ll remember where I was going with this.”
Me, to my Offspring (switching instantly to gentle parent voice): “Yes, honey, how can I help you?”
Kiddo (with pride): “I have poop.”
Me, to my Offspring (the question you never had to ask in your 20s): “In your pants or in the potty?”
An hour later—three towels, half a pack of wipes, an emergency bath, one very proud sticker chart later, and a snack break because apparently cleaning up bodily fluids makes everyone hungry…
Me, to my Spouse (attempting to reconnect the severed thread of adult conversation): “Okay, I was saying. I heard about this new book, and I’m really—”
Kiddo (from another room, with equally catastrophic urgency): “DAAAAAAAAAAADDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDYYYYYYYYYY.”
Spouse (with the resigned look of someone who’s been here before): “Hold that thought. This shouldn’t take long.” (Narrator: It took long.)
Two days later, lying in bed at 10:27 pm, which now qualifies as “staying up late”…
Spouse (out of nowhere): “Hey, tell me about that book you heard about. You seemed so excited.”
Me (struggling to remember what day it is): “Oh yeah, it’s called…”
Spouse: “Babe?”
Me: [fast asleep, mouth slightly open, possibly drooling]
True story. From yesterday. Or maybe last week. The days blend together.
How long has it been since you’ve had a complete, uninterrupted conversation with your partner or significant other? If you’re parenting in your 30s or 40s, we’re guessing: a while. Partial, half-completed thoughts are always welcome. We’ll understand if you need to finish your comment three days from now.
P.S. If you manage to remember the name of that podcast or book, please share it with the rest of us who are collecting interesting things we’ll never have time to actually enjoy.
Join us Fridays for a smile break at the end of your week: the Advance Maternal: Quick Wit series. Start your weekend off right with a little levity.
Leave a Reply