My son decides from time to time that 4 a.m. is a great time to get up for the day. Thank goodness it's rare!! I wish I could say he takes a nap or goes to bed much earlier than his usual bedtime, but he doesn't. A few weeks ago, I woke up because I heard him singing. I looked over at the clock and it was 4 a.m. At 4:30, I heard him going downstairs past our bedroom. I looked over at my husband and jokingly told him I don't go on "duty" until 5! It got me thinking that as moms, are we ever "off-duty?" Some of our many "jobs" include the following: Job #1 - chauffeur (driving one or more children to activities usually all beginning and ending at the same time). I haven't come up with a way to be in two places at the same time (yet). Job #2 - chef (trying to please one or more children and/or husband with your culinary expertise) - made even tougher with dietary restrictions (allergies, etc.). Whenever one or more of my family members has a comment I tell them, "I'll let the kitchen and/or management staff know." That usually keeps any more comments at bay. Job #3 - nursemaid (example: trying to soothe a crying baby who is having teething issues) at 3 a.m. in the morning. Job #4 - cleaning lady (trying to keep the mess or clutter of one or more children and/or husband from overtaking the house). Job #5 - laundromat operation staff - (sometimes washing a certain item of clothing at 10 p.m. that is needed by 7 a.m. the next morning). There are lots more, but the above are all that I can think of at the moment. If you're a single mom or taking care of extended family members the list is even longer. I consider being a mom one of the best "jobs" that I will ever have. It's 24/7 and you're always on "duty", but well worth it in my opinion. Sure, it's not always peaches and cream, but most of the time the benefits are sweet!
When Dominic was diagnosed with Autism at 2 1/2, I went to our local library and took out every book I could find about Autism. Sometimes I would bring back 20 books. This was 2006, so a lot of the information was very "dated." I guess I was looking for a book that would tell me what I should do next, like a "manual." Autism doesn't quite work that way! The saying is, " if you know one person with Autism, you know one person with Autism." Every mom to an individual with Autism follows their own "path." I think as moms, we judge ourselves much harder than anyone else does. I was 41 when I had Dominic. Did he get the diagnosis of Autism because I was an older mom? because I drank a lot of pop? I could sit and think about that every minute of every day. I am pretty integrated into the Autism community around Lansing and have told more than one person that it took me about two weeks to come to terms with Dominic's diagnosis. It is so incredib...
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