My 9 year old kind of shocked me today, but in a good way. Last Friday he attended my College Graduation and he waited until today, when I went to help out at his ‘Unity Games’ to ask me this: “Now that you don’t have to go to school anymore, when are you going to get a job?”.
“Funny you should ask” I mused back. I was laying out my plans to do just that either this fall when you go back to school, or after Nicky graduates High School next spring.”
“What are you going to do?” he asked. To that I replied I hoped to be teaching Web Design either at the College or elsewhere (among other projects I will be doing from home).
My son’s inquiry, however, had nothing to do with wanting his mom to work, and everything to do with *not* wanting me to work, as his next question so eloquently told the full story:”But if you work, who is going to take care of us?” (and by ‘us’ he meant himself and his brother Nicky). “No worries” I told him. “If and when I go back to work, it will be in the morning when you go to school, and it will only be part-time. I will always be home when you come home from school”. Connor seemed so relieved by my answer, you would think I gave him an amazing treat. Nutella everyone!
When I came home from being a parent volunteer for his ‘Unity Games’ at the Elementary School this morning, the news was on and they were talking about Paris Jackson’s apparent suicide attempt. They showed her and her “bio-mom” driving around Lancaster (hey, that’s were we live!) and the depression the teenager had been under. I thought about it for a moment. Here’s a girl who will inherit a vast fortune, who seemingly has everything to live for, who yet would most likely trade places with my son in a heartbeat. Money will never bring back time lost with her dad, and her mom is sadly, more a stranger than a real mom. They are trying to rectify that as I can see, but how do you make up more than a decade of not being there? I do hope that the Jackson family gets this girl all the help they can give her. They can surely afford it.
Truthfully, being there for my children is something I would not trade for all the money in the world, one thing I am willing to make enormous sacrifices for, and today Connor gave me the biggest ‘thumbs up’ to date. Thank You sweetie!
In the end, that’s the reason why I worked so hard to get my Degrees; so I could afford to get a part-time job that paid a decent wage. A respectable job, something I love and can be proud of and follow my dreams, while still be able to take care of my family, and most especially Nicky. If Nicky will ever be cured, then, I will revise my plans, but only after Connor graduates High School himself. Clearly, I’ve got about a decade to go, at least!
Hugs!
