You will never walk alone…

That is a really nice phrase, used for religious reasons to mean that you are never alone and that God is always at your side.  For a mother, it means something totally different….

It starts when you get married.  If you had your own apartment or home, you decorated it the way you wanted to.  You could walk around your own home dressed any way you want to.  You can use your bathroom any time, leave the door open and even leave things on the counter without them being disturbed.  Once you are married, you have to incorporate the wishes of your husband.  How do you get him to restrict the use of beer signs as artwork in the living room?  How do you get him to appreciate fluffy pillows everywhere?  And how do you keep him from invading your privacy in the bathroom?

Then the kids start arriving.  Time in the bathroom uninterrupted becomes a distant memory.  They follow you into that sanctuary in spite of your best efforts to teach them the value of privacy.  On a rare occasion, if you can get your husband to keep an eye on them, you can lock yourself in the bathroom for a long and relaxing bath.  Well, maybe not so long.  They usually can only make it about ten minutes.

It is pretty cool when they are all finally in school.  The first morning that you have alone, you don’t cry about it.  Personally, I put on my own music and danced!!!  Calvin insisted that he needed to come home at lunchtime.  He tried to convince his first grade teacher that I needed him.  Thankfully, she did not buy it! 

Then they all start heading off to college.  I got empty rooms as they moved out to their own places.  Rooms that I could do anything I wanted with.  Rooms that stayed clean for months!  I admit, that I did cry in their rooms when they left, but I managed to snap out of it!
And I have now come full circle.  They are coming back as adults.  They claim it is temporary….we will see.  I woke up this morning, shoved all the way to the edge of the bed.  Mini Me had dropped off Max and Stitch before work at 6:00 am and put them in bed with me, along with our jack Russell/Beagle, our Beagle, our Yorkie, her Yorkie, and her Dachsund, and my husband.  I got up, grabbed a blanket and curled up at the foot of the bed with one of the dogs.  I am pretty sure I will literally never walk alone….

Sorry for the absence - look for me once a week!