Hostage

Yesterday, I had no work so I had time to rest..... What is the problem with that? Moms aren't supposed to rest. Rest is not build into our schedule. When you are a single mother there is no back up, no assistant. I had so many things to do. For example my Christmas tree is somewhere around the living room, the garlands are still decorating  the stair railings, a second Christmas tree still up in my bedroom, and I needed to read for school.
   As I was getting ready to read, here comes my beautiful 16 year old daughter with the sweetest look on her face and asked me, "do you want to watch a movie with me?"  That was not any movie. It was Pirates of the Caribbean - At World End, and that movie lasts over three hours. I started freaking out because it was 4:30pm and my class was meeting at 7:30pm. I just saw Atul Gawande's article staring at me,  all its 10 pages of stories.  Before I could say a word the movie was in the DVD player. I then realized her question was rhetorical. I tried to sneak some reading when she wasn't looking, but she had me under surveillance. I felt hostage. My brain was going at a 100 miles per hour. I felt like I had attention deficit disorder. The time to go class arrived and the movie was still going, so I thought I had escape it. BUT NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! As soon as I logged off from class, she says with the same sweet smile, "I paused the movie so we could watch the last hour together".

   At that moment I just had to surrender. She wasn't giving up. I needed to allow myself to be present, I needed to be parent, not a student. What is the worse that could happen if I can't complete the assigned  reading?
   I love that she thought of me. I am sure many parents would love to receive an invitation like that one, and not all parents do. I am lucky she still wants to spend time with me and to have her in my life. The class will be there next week, the article I could read any time, but a 1:1 period with my daughter is priceless. I am glad she insisted. She taught me a lesson..."don't give up!" I wonder, where did she learn that from? I hope she will always keep me hostage of that beautiful love that only children are able to provide. As a mother sometimes I lose perspective of things, and I am glad that my kids never allow me to completely forget what is important in life, and where my priorities should be.

   We enjoyed that last hour of the movie and we are making plans to go see the new one coming out in March.