— The night before the first day of my two-day PhD-qualifying Comprehensive Examination
— Right before a big planned day of exploring Cajun Country with friends
— In the middle of grading 45 huge graduate papers on a tight grading deadline
— While traveling (several hours by car and then two airplanes) over a holiday weekend
— Very full week of finishing prospectus draft, consulting meetings, & doctor’s appointments
What do all these very busy and stressful times have in common?? They are times when my kids get vomit-producing illnesses. Illnesses that spread all sorts of germs, spill out on to clothes, bedsheets, and household items and generally cause a lot of work. And worry. And emergency trips to the store. And worry. And no sleep.
The night before my Comprehensive Exams, a night where I got 3 hours of sleep before sitting for 8 hours of testing, I remember thinking that being a Mom means that ‘tomorrow’ is meaningless. It doesn’t matter if ‘tomorrow’ is the day you perform brain surgery, take a huge exam, or fly to the moon. When you are Mom and your child is sick, you are MOM. And that’s that. Tomorrow means nothing because you are a Mom and Mom’s are on duty, fully employed, without compromise in every minute of every day.
So, tonight and maybe for a good part of this week, even as I fight to get a hand-hold on those other parts of my identity, Mom keeps taking over. My kids are sick and it’s inconvenient and yet, it’s part of the life. Barfing seems to be my kids’ way of reminding me.
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