Sharing the Load

Sometimes parenting is hard.

This past weekend both boys were recovering from strep (aka- still a little whiny), Randy was working in Papa New Guinea and Maria, our trusted nanny, was also down with strep. I’m always hesitant to complain about parenting since we are lucky enough to have a full time nanny who lives with us and a helper who helps with the cleaning and cooking. I do realize that when I complain about not having help that’s what most people live every day.

But you know what, Randy and I also work full time, come home and eat dinner with the boys, give them a bath, read them a book and put them to bed. After that sometimes I squeeze in some gym time or have a work event to attend or sit and watch TV while I multitask on the computer. Weekends usually include swim lessons, butcher, market for vegetables, fruit stalls, SNR- the Filipino Costco (as painful as it sounds), haircuts for the boys, taxes, hardware stores for air conditioning filters, and a million other things that I never have time for like haircuts for me or a root canal that apparently some dentist here has recommended I get. And we work pretty hard and pack in a lot and yes we are able to do that because we have help.

This Sunday morning I piled both boys into the car and went to get bagels for us and for our friends who were coming over with their new baby. Malcolm was up at 5 for the 4th day in a row (why does sleep deprivation make you so cranky) and after bagels we headed to the market. We picked up veggies and headed home to put everything away and get ready for our friends who were coming over in 15 minutes. I pulled into our parking spot which is two elevators, 10 stairs and about 100 steps away from our apartment…..and I hit a major wall. I had been up for 4 hours and lugging two babies around in 107 degree heat and it was only 9 am. I said something to the effect of  asking how am I going to get everyone, our bagels and veggies upstairs to myself, knowing that chances are one or both boys would beg to be carried as well.

Adam must have sensed something in my voice and immediately said, don’t worry mommy, I’ll carry a bag. When I took him out his insisted on carrying a bag, I gave him the kale since it was the lightest and he insisted on carrying another bag and took the bagel bag. I went around to get Malcolm out and slipped. I luckily caught myself (and  my coffee- THANK GOD) but hit my knee. Adam came over and asked if I was alright. He asked me where I was hurt and then he kissed my knee. It was probably the sweetest moment I have ever had. Just having him help carry those bags and kiss my knees made the trip upstairs a million times easier.

Sometimes being a parent feels like an uphill climb. But every once in a while you have a moment like this where you realize the uphill climb has a peak and when you finally reach the peak the view is so beautiful and worth every ounce of effort it took you to get there.