Motherhood: Ultimate Job Security

Today while I was driving my Mom to get labwork done, and helping her get in and out of my little red Focus, it reminded me of when my kids were toddlers...all three of them in the backseat of a Buick Skyhawk...the three carseats barely fit.

I used to think "I can't wait til they're 18 and then they'll be on their own" when I was being overwhelmed with the endless diapers, bottles, ear infections, and other responsibilities of motherhood. Having 3 babies in 3 yrs and 3 months seemed like a good idea at the time. I wouldn't have had it any other way, in spite of how much work it was. Ryan, Michelle and Matt are the best of friends and shared many of the same experiences at about the same time growing up---something I missed with my sister who was almost 4 years younger. But this afternoon while I was helping my mom with her bills and checkbook my cell phone rang. It was my Matt calling from college. He needed me to download a document and get a signature, etc, etc. My baby might be 21, but he still needed me. I think I kind of like that feeling. That is why I still pack my husband's lunch (he has two masters degrees and a doctorate--totally qualified to make his PB& J sandwich) and my daughter's lunch (who is 22 and is a prolific writer and former AP intern whose work has appeared in the Washington Post, the LA Times, and every other major newspaper in the country.)

But I love doing things like that for my kids, my husband, and my elderly mother
because I like being the person who supports them from the "background"...they are all far more ambitious than I am. I graduated 4th out of 1200 from my college, have a Lifetime California Teaching Credential, but I still enjoy emptying garbage cans and doing laundry...because somebody's gotta do it, right?" Anyway, I must go...I just got an email from my son in college and he needs some cleaning advice on what to do about smelly drains and garbage disposal in their apartment. It sounds like an emergency! I think I am in no danger of being "laid-off" or getting "furlough Fridays"...but I definitely need to contact the Payroll Department because I haven't got my paycheck in almost 30 years!