What I didn't say is that I don't mind that much. I sort of like having a couple hours in the morning to myself before everyone gets out of bed. I feed all 97 of our pets. I have the time to get a cup of coffee and quietly sip it while I wake up -- without having to talk to anyone. I have time to pull a writing prompt out of the jar and percolate on how I want to answer it. I have time to answer it. I have time for a cup of coffee or two more, if I want.
All in the quietness of the morning -- save for the paws scrabbling across our hardwood floors in Early Morning Kitten Wars.
Some of my teenagers have gotten on this weird sleep schedule which we're in the middle of retraining. Which meant someone was still awake when I got up at 5am yesterday, ready to talk and vent. At 5 am. Before I had had coffee. Quietly waking up was not happening. Writing was not happening. Grumpy hormones might have been happening.
So, in the afternoon, I took myself to my favorite coffee shop, laptop in hand -- FOUND A TABLE (Gold, I tell you. GOLD.) -- and wrote. By myself.
One child was at school with the Teenager Car. One child was at home with nowhere to be. The third child was also at home with no work on her afternoon schedule. I was not expected home.
when are you coming home? the text read.
What followed was a sad exchange in which the teenager professed boredom, lack of transportation, desire to go to work for which she was not scheduled, and.... oh right, more boredom.
will you be home by 2:30??
I sighed. A good mom would probably go home.
probably not. I texted back.
Because sometimes self-care looks like stubborn obstinancy.
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