Rescue Me!

Ha! Fooled you. I don't want to be rescued. I don't need to be rescued.


I've had a couple of well-meaning people tell me that if I ever need a break from the kids- as in NEED a break from the kids- I should give them a call and they'll take them off my hands for a couple of hours. Um. No thanks. If I really get to that point, that's what my husband is for. Heck, that's what Baby Einstein videos are for.

What I'd really like is for someone to offer- without my having to reach some kind of breaking point- to take the kids for a couple of hours. That kind of offer would help relieve some of the stress and isolation that being a stay-at-home mom can create.

I think that it's good for kids to have relationships with others that are independent of their immediate family. I have always had a close relationship with my aunt, independent of my parents. I went to boarding school and my aunt and I wrote letters to each other then and the relationship continues strongly to this day. We've even taken vacations together. My relationship with her is one of the best things about my life.

I have tried to convince my well-meaning family and friends that if they are waiting for me to reach some kind of breaking point in order to give me some respite then it's never going to happen. As much as my kids drive me crazy sometimes, I've never come close to doing something bad to them, unless you count putting them in their room an hour early for their nap. I will confess that happens on occasion.

I am not one to simply call up and ask for a babysitter unless I have a tangible need, whether it's a dentist appointment or the hair dresser (which doesn't happen as often as it should.) In the meantime, my kids are not seeing as much of these folks as they would if someone simply offered.

I do have a couple of people who check up on me and make sure that my life is not being overwhelmed by my kids, so I suppose I shouldn't complain. One of them is, of course, that same aunt with whom I have the close relationship. She never tells me that if I ever need to be rescued, she'll be there. Instead, she is there. Every week we get together, rain or shine.

My kids adore her.

The ironic thing is that while she's never offered to rescue me, she's one of the reasons I'll never need to be rescued. While others wait for me to call in distress, she is building a solid relationship with my kids, independent of me. Funny how that works out, isn't it?