We are lazing the days away here at the OMF guesthouse on the eastern coast of Thailand.
Over the past few I have been watching one of the other mothers. I've noticed that she always arrives at breakfast well AFTER her 2 boys have eaten theirs. I've noticed that she reads a lot. She goes for long solitary walks on the beach, meandering along, picking up shells and other treasures. At lunch and dinner she talks to adults, not her children, and has intelligent conversations. One morning she disappeared after breakfast and did not surface again until lunch time.
Her kids are none the worse for this ... dad is around and they just get on with their games, their TV watching, their swimming, their sand-castle building, etc.
In between noticing all of this, I am responding to shouts of "Mom, I need you." "Mom, I need to poo." "Mom, please may I have more toast?" "Mom, Jonty is not letting me have a turn" "Mom, I'm starving" ... and of course rushing around like a maniac trying to keep Nina out of the dog's food, and away from the sea, remove her from the drinks fridge, hide the orchids she "picked", etc, etc, etc.
Yesterday afternoon this other mother took a comfy reclining chair, put it up in the shade of one of the giant pine trees - just a few metres from the sea - and did some embroidery. Embroidery!!!! I would have had a closer look except that MY three children were howling for snacks and drinks.
But something struck me as I saw her there - I actually felt a little sorry for her. She seemed a little lonely. Even sad.
I made a kind of a vow that I would enjoy the fact that my three want me around and in fact love having me around 24 a day, 7 days a week.... because in a few short years time Jonty will be 12 and Em will be 10 and Nina will be 8 and they will be off on their own, not wanting old mom hanging around embarrassing them and spoiling all their fun, and I'll probably have to take up embroidery!
Oh, sorry, didn't I mention that this mom's children are 9 and 12 years old???
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