Today's Dilemma

Originally written 6.15.11

I have an important meeting tonight that’s been on my calendar for 3 weeks.  I f’d up last week.  Had a sitter all lined up (my best friend and godmother to my oldest) and then realized that morning I had the wrong date.  Note:  I only realized this when I sent the person I’m meeting an email reviewing what I wanted to accomplish.  His response, “WTF?”…Embarrassing! 

So the meeting is tonight.  Did I say it was important? 

Well late last night I realized my 9 year old son, Aidan, has a project due tomorrow morning that we haven’t even started. 

And here’s where I stop to gripe about the hardships of single motherhood.

1.   Married moms would have a partner to get it done…don’t have that (I know some married moms will say they don’t have that either but that’s a topic for your own blog!)

2.   His dad actually gets the same homework notices I do and even though Aidan was there all weekend, it wasn’t done.  I kick myself for not texting his dad a reminder (no, divorce does not eliminate this from my to-do list, if I want to keep my sanity). 

Which brings us back to my dilemma.  Although I will have an adult in the house with my kids tonight (aforementioned godmother back again this week for the REAL meeting), I feel it is my responsibility to help him with the project.  It’s a parent’s job, right? 

I considered canceling.  Not a good look professionally but it would mean I could get home, help with the project and get my son to bed at a decent hour.  Until about 11am, that was the plan.  Excuse all lined up…”Big PTA meeting I have to attend.  Ex can’t cover it.  Got sick.  I don’t know, some stomach thing I think.  I know, totally sucks and I’m really sorry.”

But no, I won’t cancel.  I talk through the plan with the godmother and decide it’s a go…do mtg for an hour, duck out at 8, hop on the train, pick up my car at the lot (parked there instead of the street because my registration expired and I haven’t had a chance to get to motor vehicle to figure out why the hell I never got anything in the mail), stop at the grocery to get supplies for the project (don’t ask) and get home by 9pm to start. 

Aidan prepping his project:  Creating a recipe for sliders and making enough to feed the entire class

Now all this means Aidan won’t be in bed until 11 but oh well.  We’ll have a solid 2 hours together, to work on this.  It would have been wonderful to do it as soon as he got home from school (or better yet, a week ago when assigned!) but if I beat myself up for every infraction of the Leave it to Beaver mom code, I’d be too black and blue to get all the things done on my to-do list.  So he’ll be a little tired, but he’ll have a great mom-supervised project to share with the class tomorrow.  It’s the best I can do. 

And that, readers is work/life UNbalanced!!