The Job That Never Ends

School started last Wednesday for Elias. We both missed Friday for his pre-scheduled oral surgery to re-fix the tooth he broke last summer.

Of course that's the way the schedule worked. No appointment available during the weeks we were both off for the summer. Not till the first week of school.

Anesthesia and a root canal.

"Has he had any other surgeries?" the nurse asked as we waited for the doc.

"Yeah, he had a PDA ligation, reservoir placement, two eye surgeries.."

"Whoa, slow down."

"Sorry, he's just been through this a lot."

Yet it doesn't matter how many times he's been put under anesthesia, I always worry he won't wake up.

My mind goes there, every time.

But he did. Easily. And we were home by the afternoon, before school even got out, with a boy wanting to ride his bike.

"Let's just hang out in the back yard Bud." So we sat in the sun, after weeks of rain, eating  Lara bars and roast beef rolls. A gift of quiet time amidst a frantic week.

Then on Saturday night, Olive came down with a fever. Nick and I split the day on Monday to stay home with her. She seemed better by the afternoon so we sent her to preschool Tuesday only for me to receive a phone call in the afternoon that her fever was back.

So here I am, at home again.

Today is the first day of school for all our kindergarten and first grade students and I'd like to be there to play at recess and help them navigate all the transitions in their day.  To support the teachers and parents. To check-in with kids. But no. My primary job beckons.

Motherhood.

The career with no set schedule. No vacations. Not even a salary. Called to work at 2:00 a.m when a feverish bundle climbs under the blankets with you and cries as she points to imaginary bees.

"Olive there are no bees in here."

"Bee, Mama bee, right there."

"Shhhh, sleep Sweetie, just sleep."

Sweet sleep: the dream of every exhausted parent just praying they will make it through another day of responding to the alarms of childhood.

The job that never ends.

Comments

[fleming]

I don't know how you juggle it all! I struggle with just the motherhood part. Hope that the tooth is fixed for good and that you have a long weekend coming your way.

[Kate]

It is exhausting. All of it. Even the good stuff. Working hard to incorporate more rest and play over here for all of us.