GBE2 Challenge: Work

"What sort of work do you want to do when you grow up?" I just asked our younger son, who is home sick from school today. I knew what he was going to say.

"A storm chaser," he replied matter-of-factly.

"Oh yeah? Where do you plan to chase storms?" I asked, encouraging the conversation.

"Anywhere there's a storm," he said in his "Duh!" voice.

"So...do you have to go to college to chase storms?" I pressed.

"Well, dad says I can start next year when I'm nine."

This was news to me, by the way.

"Dad says that we can start by chasing one or two storms in the summertime." His eyes just sparkled as he said these words.

"You mean your dad is going with you?" I asked. What, do these two have some plan or something?

"Yeah. You know. We're going to just find them and go into buildings with our cameras and footage them and things like that," he answered. My little storm chaser. This kid's got it all figured out.

And, apparantly it's starting this summer. I guess he and his dad have summer plans.

I wonder if his dad knows about them?

"Dad snores, by the way," I warned him. "Bring some ear plugs."

We were both curled on the couch in our warm family room. It's the second day of a cold snap in New York State. After an unusually warm holiday season, we're due for the cold weather, but I don't like it.

Our storm chaser is sick, and I've pulled out the cool air mister, warm blankets and all I could think of to make him warm, cozy and comfortable on this cold, winter sick day. It's the first day he's missed of school for sickness. Ever.

It's my job to make him feel better.

Those clean beds upstairs? All me.

The bathrooms that, TRUST ME, are splattered with all kinds of yuck from these cave boys of mine throughout the day? Nobody else cleans them.

"Where's my employment contract?" I asked my husband one day. I was serious, and I wanted to prove a point. At one point in time, I had brain power, you know. How had my life been reduced to this?

He just laughed it off. Only, truly, I wasn't joking. I had PLANS for my life, after all. Yes, those plans did include children, but did they include special children? Advocacy? Scullery Maid? Special Diets Cook? Laundress? Caretaker of all things furry, slimy or swimming? Homeschooler when needed?

Did I imagine knowing, really, so very much about BMs and the digestive system? Really?

I sat next to my storm chaser this morning as he told me of his summer plans, knowing full well that he expected me to be where I always am--where I have always been during his lifetime: at home, keeping those home fires burning. In his mind, while he and his dad are out chasing the great F5 tornado, I was to be here, where I always am, taking care of our older son, the house, the pets and all that comes along with family living.

That's what I do.

I wonder, why didn't he ask me to chase storms with him this summer? I could, you know....if I wanted to...

But, the truth is, I wouldn't want to. First of all, I think you'd have to be a nut to chase storms. Our son is that kind of a nut. He loves storms. It is his passion.


My children are my passion.

It happened without my realizing, perhaps during one of the sleepless nights as I sat in my familiar spot at the top of the stairs in the hall, forcing our older son to stay in his room during the wee hours. Or, was it while cleaning the tenth, fiftieth or one-hundreth toileting accident, knowing that it was a sign of a child just not able to control his body?

Was it the first time our tantruming child hit me, and I realized it was a cry for help and not an act of anger?

I'm hopeless. Somewhere along the very path that will surely drive me to insanity, I have found my life's work and my purpose.

Leaning over my sick child's head, I gave him a kiss. He just taught me a lesson and didn't know it.

"Yuck, mama," he said while wiping away any possible remnants of my affection.

Wow. A mom kisses a child inside their home, nobody is there to see it, and it can STILL be uncool.

I'm sorry, may I re-write this entry?