Dear moms at the park,
Hi. You don’t know me, I don’t usually hang out at the park during the day. Heck, who am I kidding, we don’t go to the park much at all. I’m mean to my kid like that. Well, not so much mean as we don’t have time. We get home with if we’re lucky two hours before bedtime. Well, we did before I had the summer off with a newborn. Now we have all kinds of time. I’m even awake for some of it. That is beside the point.
You don’t know me because I’m new here. I don’t usually look like this. Well, sort of. I mean, my hair looks like crap a lot, and well, I’m in desperate need of waxing, and I may have forgotten to shave my legs recently. Hey though, I did shower recently. I think that was yesterday. I also don’t wear black all the time but these are the only pants that fit me that aren’t falling apart. These and the other pair of black maternity capris that I own. I have those and two black nursing tanks. I feared what white would show with the spitting up newborn and grabby four year old, so all I got was black, which sort of looks odd with only have black pants. Think of it as a return to our goth years in middle school. That was only me? OK. Just wait until I dye my grey hair purple.
So, you don’t know me, but I would love to know you. You can expect to see me here a lot. I’ll be hovering over my kid trying to make sure she isn’t a little shit to your kid, like she is to me. I’ll also be looking to help her should your kid be a shit to her. She hasn’t made that connection yet. She may look like she’s six or seven, but trust me, she’s four. She behaves like a four year old. Yes, my husband is quite tall. The baby is only three weeks old. Yes, she’s big too. Yes, my husband is quite tall. She also eats all the time. Hope you don’t mind, but she isn’t very good at doing it under a blanket yet, so yes, I did just flash your kid. Get over it.
I’m home with two kids, feeling sort of like a hostage, until labor day. So, if you wouldn’t mind, maybe say Hi. Our kids will likely both be going to the school right here next to the park in a little over a year. Might as well get it out of the way now. You’ll have plenty of time to judge me for being a working mom that way. I’ll have plenty of time to wonder how with three kids at home you ever shave your legs.
- Me.
7 Comments
This post is oh so familiar! I remember those days well while I was laid off & it wasn’t fun at first. Eventually found a welcoming Mom group with whom I still stay in touch with. Enjoy the time you have left home with the kiddos.
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I’ve had exactly one interaction with a mother at the park. One. I said Hello. She asked how old my boys were. I said they were almost 2. She said “Wow, I guess my son really IS tall for his age.” and walked away. I think I stood there with my mouth hanging open like double you tee eff. Because what WAS that? I’d totally talk to you at the park- I’d probably even be wearing a matching outfit.
hang in there, mama. i had so much trouble connecting with the stuck-up SAHMs in my neighborhood that i went back to work a year before i’d planned. i was so hungry for connections with other moms with a compassionate ear that i joined a their playgroup only to be told in essence that i was a crappy mother who needed to talk to her pediatrician because of my 3-year-old’s “discipline problems.”probably the lowest day of my life. why aren’t moms nicer to eachother? if i was at your park, i’d share my snacks with you.
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I’m one of those moms at the park that you don’t know. We’re at the park almost every day in the summer. I’m an introvert, so I might smile at you. I might watch your kid when she is by mine, but I probably won’t initiate a conversation. I’d definitely be open to visiting if you did though.
I shave my legs when my husband is home feeding the kids lunch by the way. In the winter, I just usually don’t.
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I would love to hang out, but we’re leaving town for 11 days! My best mom friend moved away (can’t believe it’s been 2 years) & I haven’t really made many other mom friends since then who have stuck around, so I really know the feeling. Hang in there!
Just let me know the park and I’ll be there ready to chat. I work full time, too, but was laid off a couple of years ago and have some doozy stories to tell of park encounters. I’m headed to maternity leave in a couple of weeks and I’m already preparing myself to head into the world of daily park visits again. Oh, and if you see my nanny with my kids, you can talk to her, too. She’s not looking for a married guy to mess around with so no need to fear and she’s actually really funny.
I don’t know why moms are so hard to approach at the park, but they really are. When I was on leave last fall also suddenly with two kids and realizing I was totally unaware of how difficult it would be, it really sucked to feel so deprived of adult interaction!
I hope you found some nice moms!
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