When I got home from work today, my folks were there as they'd been to pick the girls up from school for me (like they do most Thursdays).
I was exhausted - Ive been at work just after 8am every morning this week, Ive had only one lunch hour (today) and I used it to get grocery shopping. I rarely go to bed before midnight once Ive cooked dinner, cleared away, got the girls showered and ready for bed, made lunches for the next day etc etc etc.
After my boss left his job at the end of Feb, I knew Id be coevering for him until his replacement starts (in JUNE!) which has meant a huge amount of extra work for me at the busiest time of the year for our industry (Valentines and Mothers Day). I think its fair to say that I hate my job but I stay because I have to. I have seven Field Reps who have trouble distinguishing their arses from their elbows to look after, two kids, a lovely (but inept) BF and I work FUCKING HARD.
I went back to work when I got divorced. Treacle was 3 and a half. Jooj was 7. I went straight into full time work and used my entire salary to pay my childrens expensive private school fees for two years until I moved to Chigley. I have had one holiday in the last five years.
As soon as I got in the front door tonight, all of them (apart from the Field Reps!) started bombarding me with questions and telling me stuff and showing me stuff and shoving stuff under my nose, forms to sign, mail to read, bills to check...all that kind of stuff, regardless of the fact that I was carrying two bags of heavy groceries. You know that trick they use on TV sometimes where everything is in fast-motion except the central character, who is just standing there, motionless? yeh? That was me.
Eventually, Jooj sidled up and put her arms round me. "Crummy day, mumsie?", she said. I said "Yeh. Kind of."
My mother snorted and said "Huh. Welcome to the world of the Mother."
Then she and my dad left.
When we were kids, my mum didnt go back to work until I was 7. That means my brother would have been 9 and my sister 13. My mum worked part time, at a job she could walk to, 1-5pm only. Us kids walked home from school on our own, seperately, and when we got in we set the table and got dinner ready. If we had afterschool activities we did those and then walked home. No child minder, no school run, no exhusband.
My mother has no fucking idea what its like to be me.